tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post5988211425180693656..comments2023-11-05T06:49:09.637-06:00Comments on Twins Geek: Of Budget and BetrayalJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907268840665045299noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-55557880253111059752009-03-20T15:57:00.000-05:002009-03-20T15:57:00.000-05:00The dramatic change in payroll has everything to d...The dramatic change in payroll has everything to do with Carl Pohald's seriously declining health and then death. The estate was divided primarily among the three sons and the ownership of the Twins has apparently devolved to Jim in combination with his brothers but he is certainly the main face of the ownership now. No matter how you cut it, he does not have the financial resources of his Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-84838326458702730752009-03-20T12:15:00.000-05:002009-03-20T12:15:00.000-05:00Looks like I owe some anonymous person a coke.Looks like I owe some anonymous person a coke.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-4045600905931836712009-03-20T12:13:00.000-05:002009-03-20T12:13:00.000-05:00Looks like they have plenty of money available for...Looks like they have plenty of money available for international scouting and above-slot draft bonuses. A team this bad at signing free agents should probably focus the money on expanding their scouting org. There is also a big pot of money available for trade this summer if some other team has to dump salary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-44840798879742766962009-03-20T11:21:00.000-05:002009-03-20T11:21:00.000-05:00They are being frugal and fiscally responsible. Th...They are being frugal and fiscally responsible. They have been successful as a result of putting the money into scouting and player development instead of wasting good money on free agents that generally will not be worth the money spent. In addition, many do not want to come to a smaller market team. If you want to see them keep putting a winner on the field stop with crying about not bringing Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-56963109252176465472009-03-20T10:28:00.000-05:002009-03-20T10:28:00.000-05:00I think there are a number of reasons for the decr...I think there are a number of reasons for the decrease in payroll but I think the main reason is GM Bill Smith.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-39675349161843418002009-03-20T09:36:00.000-05:002009-03-20T09:36:00.000-05:00The thing I want to see (and realize I probably ne...The thing I want to see (and realize I probably never will) is a graph showing payroll as a per cent of revenues over the years. Then I want that graph for all other teams. THEN, I want a graph showing each teams position Relative to the Mean. Then and only then will I be able to reach any kind of reasonable conclusions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-85320715450112234622009-01-10T05:34:00.000-06:002009-01-10T05:34:00.000-06:00Whistle past the graveyard all you want, but the T...Whistle past the graveyard all you want, but the Twins are shrinking their geographical fan base, and putting a small outdoor park next to a giant garbage burner will invite lawsuits from 'exposed' employees and fans. Citing these reasons, they'll pack up and leave at first opportunity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-69994670485435234672009-01-10T03:28:00.000-06:002009-01-10T03:28:00.000-06:00John: Can you please send me your email so I can s...John: Can you please send me your email so I can send you a press notice for or upcoming hot stove league banquet. Thanks! Sammy/Ballpark Tours/twinsfansam@gmail.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14161203672542520613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-64191978449455916412009-01-09T12:05:00.000-06:002009-01-09T12:05:00.000-06:00This is typical cheap Twins baseball. Did anyone r...This is typical cheap Twins baseball. Did anyone really think that things would change for this team. When was the last time this team signed a bit time free agent? We go with the bottem of the barrel players and hope they have a big year. I know we all wished and hoped with the new stadium things would change and we would make a splash at some point. But yet again we just stand pat and hope to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-82977719591623314652009-01-09T10:53:00.000-06:002009-01-09T10:53:00.000-06:00How MLB does "Revenue sharing" is public...How MLB does "Revenue sharing" is publicly available information. Each team pays 31% of local revenues into a central fund, then that money is evenly split among the teams. That means a team like the Twins, with low revenues, shows a net profit through revenue sharing. See links below:<BR/><BR/>http://www.bnet.com/2403-13502_23-210897.html<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.mlb.com/news/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-80733312335485155542009-01-09T10:10:00.000-06:002009-01-09T10:10:00.000-06:00Regarding the effects of the economy on payroll, s...Regarding the effects of the economy on payroll, sure, I think it's fair to take that into account in anticipating future revenue. But being tightwads threatens future revenue too. In fact, I would argue that a much bigger threat to future ticket sales than the economy would be to field a cheap, short-handed team when they're flush with money. <BR/><BR/>And after hitting up tax-payers for a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-36926843423453995132009-01-09T09:42:00.000-06:002009-01-09T09:42:00.000-06:00I actually sent Bill Smith an email last year afte...I actually sent Bill Smith an email last year after the Santana trade regarding the payroll shortage. His response was that the only reason payroll decreased was that they had budgeted to keep Torii and also thought that Santana was going to be on the team. I wonder what his excuse will be this year.<BR/><BR/>-----------------------------------<BR/><BR/>Dear Jesse:<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-69176812424378811302009-01-09T07:56:00.000-06:002009-01-09T07:56:00.000-06:00The Elephant in the room is the "National Economy"...The Elephant in the room is the "National Economy" which is worsening.<BR/><BR/>Maybe you have inside info, BUT I suspect that season tiket sales are at best soft. If the economy continues to weaken, EVEN with a TOP team, can/will attendance drop 5/10/15/20%?<BR/><BR/>Maybe saving now can allow purchasing these perfect players at lower prices.<BR/><BR/>Under the current environment, it is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-5684971387350224272009-01-08T23:56:00.000-06:002009-01-08T23:56:00.000-06:00The original post reflects many of the same though...The original post reflects many of the same thoughts/opinions I've come to have over the course of the off season, as well.<BR/><BR/>The issues raised in some of the comments are legitimate to discuss and I look forward to John's responses.<BR/><BR/>There are a couple of other "extenuating circumstances" that come to my mind that might also be worth considering. "Anonymous" pointed to a number ofAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-20826836014129780882009-01-08T21:36:00.000-06:002009-01-08T21:36:00.000-06:00OK, looks like the responses to the comments will ...OK, looks like the responses to the comments will need to wait until Monday, and the current points to address look like this: <BR/><BR/>1) Wasting the value of cheap pitching<BR/>2) Building from within versus filling needs externally<BR/>3) The skeptic view<BR/>4) Why long-term contracts don't really impact the amount spent<BR/>5) Increased Revenue expectations<BR/>6) Expected payroll Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907268840665045299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-16469469565953965842009-01-08T18:29:00.000-06:002009-01-08T18:29:00.000-06:00I guess I'm hoping (maybe beyond hope) that in 201...I guess I'm hoping (maybe beyond hope) that in 2011 or 2012 when the current core is in the middle of their prime and they may be forced to choose whether to keep the core together and go over their salary threshold or trade away some pieces, that ownership will look to the 2008-2010 period and all the millions they saved and agree to keep it together. <BR/><BR/>As fans we'll have more of a Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12026333086641689724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-55264311135525488762009-01-08T16:50:00.000-06:002009-01-08T16:50:00.000-06:00In regards to the article from Joe C, the Twins ha...In regards to the article from Joe C, the Twins have 5 guys (Cuddy, Morneau, Mauer, Punto, Nathan) under contract for $50 million. 11 guys are up for arbitration and the remaining 8 players are locked up under rookie contracts. Some of the arbitration guys are people like Bonser, Crain, Gurrier, Redmond, and Harris who are not all that important to our team and/or can be kept cheaply. Other Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-89468653133684602232009-01-08T10:11:00.000-06:002009-01-08T10:11:00.000-06:00I think it's very reasonable to assume Twins' reve...I think it's very reasonable to assume Twins' revenues have increase over the past 2 years as well, making the picture even uglier.<BR/><BR/>The Twins new radio deal with KSTP allows them to keep all ad revenue (a change from the 'CCO days) as well as an up front payment from KSTP.<BR/><BR/>The national TV deal with FOX (2006) includes escalating rights fees each year.<BR/><BR/>Twins ticket Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-33489499731080433002009-01-08T09:43:00.000-06:002009-01-08T09:43:00.000-06:00I personally would like to see BS spend the money ...I personally would like to see BS spend the money not on free agents, but rather on signing current twins (Mauer, Kubel, some pitchers nearing arb) to longer-term deals. Frankly, we have a ridiculously young team full of potential and actualized talent. I see the current twins roster (+ a few current minor leaguers) being the team to beat in 2010, 2011, and 2012, if the team is still all Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14464223933460020201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-53084311445352300432009-01-08T09:10:00.000-06:002009-01-08T09:10:00.000-06:00If one was of a skeptical orientation one might co...If one was of a skeptical orientation one might come to believe that the Twins were using operational savings to eat into the amount pledged to contribute to the stadium. To such a skeptic one year of reduced payroll might be chalked up to an aberration. Two, however, is more than coincidental for such a person.<BR/><BR/>A skeptic could also expect that, regardless of what is spent in 2010 or Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-63304246769051082162009-01-08T08:44:00.000-06:002009-01-08T08:44:00.000-06:00Guys, thanks for the comments. I'll address them ...Guys, thanks for the comments. I'll address them more fully tomorrow. ust to keep the comments coming, here are some quick replies:<BR/><BR/>1) Payroll does go up in future years if you crunch the numbers, but it's not like the bank is going to be broken.<BR/>2) There are plenty of other ways to cut salary without losing your top three pitchers.<BR/>3) The primary value of this quality young Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907268840665045299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-30152106572184715912009-01-08T08:35:00.000-06:002009-01-08T08:35:00.000-06:00My issue with this is that there are needs that ca...My issue with this is that there are needs that cannot be easily filled internally. Joe Nelson is one good example, and Frucal is a huge upgrade over Punto, and he was had cheaply. Burrel is a similar situation. I agreed with not giving Blake a 3rd year, but why haven't they done a 1 year deal with a guy like Crede or traded for Beltre or Michael Young? I understand saving up some cash for Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-82169240227894709182009-01-08T05:51:00.000-06:002009-01-08T05:51:00.000-06:00I agree with Seth. The Twins have a good-young-che...I agree with Seth. The Twins have a good-young-cheap team which may become a great-experienced-costly team. I'd rather hang on to Slowey, Baker and Liriano than have to trade one or more because we signed an aging Furcal and Blake.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12026333086641689724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394137.post-82126479392095001782009-01-07T23:18:00.000-06:002009-01-07T23:18:00.000-06:00The only argument is that there are so many making...The only argument is that there are so many making $0.45 million in 2009 that have to and deserve to play. They do have three players over $10 million. They just have so many players under three years of experience. That has to be accounted for. These numbers can go up quickly when more of them hit arbitration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com