Quote:
Originally Posted by CySeymour
And use money that would be better of spent in player development? No thanks.
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Seriously?
Here are the payrolls for the franchises that play in other similarly-sized markets to Houston (from 2012):
1. New York (Yankees: 198 / Mets: 93)
2. Los Angeles (Angels: 154 / Dodgers: 95)
3. Chicago (White Sox: 96 / Cubs 88)
4. Texas Rangers: 120
5. Houston: Projected 2013 25 million
6. Philadelphia: 174
7. Washington DC: 81
You're seriously suggesting that Houston is going to dump ~$60-$70m (the amount it would take to bring them into the same universe as their fellow large-market mates) into PLAYER DEVELOPMENT?
To do what? Train all their A prospects on solid gold weight benches?
Every other team on that list is running minor league systems, drafting players, making international signings, paying coaches/instructors, etc. in addition to paying out their ML payroll. To suggest that the Astros can't afford to sign enough players to field a competitive, non-100 loss team while building a farm system is ludicrous.
This is exactly why other sports have salary floors or a relegation/promotion system -- because the Astros are jobbing their fans and upsetting the competitive balance of the league (think the AL West won't be a heavy favorite to send 3 teams to the post-season with this whipping boy in their back pocket all year?) by just being cheap.
And, to make it more insulting, they're doing it in a market that should afford them the resources to be competitive AND building for the future at the same time.