MLB Sets New Revenue Record, Exceeding $10.8 Billion For 2022

[Wonderful Monds]

Not to mention like, the Rays and Cleveland have figured out how to win, that’s great. All it took is trading off every single player before they started to make more than pocket change and making it utterly impossible for the fans to have a favorite player since they’ll be gone by the time you recognize their name anyway.

And how many World Series rings do these two orgs who have supposedly figured out how to game the system have to show for that cynical approach between them?

[Wonderful Monds]

Going back to 2010, the only team that has won the World Series without a mega payroll or at least near the top of the league is the 2015 KC Royals. And even their 127M in 2015 would be 156M right now after inflation. Hardly the Rays or Guardians.

[Bourgeois Zee]

That's just simply not true.

Because of baseball welfare, they don't care enough.

[InsaneinthBrame]

Going back to 2010, the only team that has won the World Series without a mega payroll or at least near the top of the league is the 2015 KC Royals. And even their 127M in 2015 would be 156M right now after inflation. Hardly the Rays or Guardians.

Depends what you call top the Astros were 8th and Braves were 10th. Not mega payrolls IMO since at least 1/3 of the league is rebuilding tanking. Higher payrolls are teams that are actually trying.

The Indians Royals and Rays all have made the WS and could have won the series they were in.

You think this would be much of a debate if the Reds were like the Rays of course not. I live in the Tampa and the Rays fans are not whining about this topic and legitimately face the biggest payrolls in MLB in AL East where the Reds only have the NL central teams which are simiar market size except Cubs who are run poorly outside of Theo ERA

[Bourgeois Zee]

You think this would be much of a debate if the Reds were like the Rays of course not. I live in the Tampa and the Rays fans are not whining about this topic and legitimately face the biggest payrolls in MLB in AL East where the Reds only have the NL central teams which are simiar market size except Cubs who are run poorly outside of Theo ERA

That's funny.

Much of my family lives in Tampa and are die-hards who live and die with the Rays.

They complain all the time about how unfair it is that the Rays can't keep good players because of cheap ownership.

Their argument-- and it has merit-- is that their team would be a multiple-time WS champ if they were allowed to play on an even playing field. They are absolutely bitter about 2019 (the Astros cheated), 2020 (big timed by a likely cheating Dodgers' team with three times their payroll), and 2021 (best team screwed over by ownership who didn't go out and get what they really needed). This past year, they were livid over an off-season that saw them try to be too clever by force. They didn't have the pitching or OF horses, knew they didn't have them, and still didn't get them.

[InsaneinthBrame]

That's funny.

Much of my family lives in Tampa and are die-hards who live and die with the Rays.

They complain all the time about how unfair it is that the Rays can't keep good players because of cheap ownership.

Well complaining of cheap ownership is a little different IMO

[missionhockey21]

Going back to 2010, the only team that has won the World Series without a mega payroll or at least near the top of the league is the 2015 KC Royals. And even their 127M in 2015 would be 156M right now after inflation. Hardly the Rays or Guardians.

Ranked 12th were the Royals on Opening Day that season.

All winners since 2003 were all 14th or higher, except of course the Marlins of 2003 who ranked 25th on Opening Day.

The moral of the story: Winners spend to be at least in the top half of the league.

[Chip R]

Part of the reason the NFL has gained so much in popularity is the parity in the league. The MLB seems to be losing any semblance of parity at a quick rate. It was already a regional sport for the most part, but if you are going to consistently have your contending teams spending 4-6X the amount the bottom teams spend people are going to stop caring.

Parity is overstated in the NFL. It's much easier to go from doormat to contender in the NFL than it is in MLB. MLB just can't flick a switch and say, "Parity" and expect teams like the Reds and Pirates to compete. For one thing there's a 162 game schedule. Hot streaks are usually balanced out by cold ones and vice versa. Even though the Reds were 3-18 in April last year, they had two months where they were (barely) over .500. A hot or cold streak in the NFL will probably make or break your season. Also, draft choices can play and contribute immediately in the NFL. The Bengals are living proof of this. The Reds are going to have to wait 3+ years for their draft picks to make the roster. And even when they do, there is usually a big learning curve. The schedule in the NFL also keeps teams from being too good or too bad for too long. Finishing last usually gets you a schedule of teams that were on the same level as your team. More successful teams have to play like teams. The Reds just cant play PIT and MIA and AZ for most of the season. Non or partially guaranteed contracts in the NFL helps teams quite a bit. When the Reds cut Moose, they still have to pay him his full salary.

[InsaneinthBrame]

Parity is overstated in the NFL. It's much easier to go from doormat to contender in the NFL than it is in MLB. MLB just can't flick a switch and say, "Parity" and expect teams like the Reds and Pirates to compete. For one thing there's a 162 game schedule. Hot streaks are usually balanced out by cold ones and vice versa. Even though the Reds were 3-18 in April last year, they had two months where they were (barely) over .500. A hot or cold streak in the NFL will probably make or break your season. Also, draft choices can play and contribute immediately in the NFL. The Bengals are living proof of this. The Reds are going to have to wait 3+ years for their draft picks to make the roster. And even when they do, there is usually a big learning curve. The schedule in the NFL also keeps teams from being too good or too bad for too long. Finishing last usually gets you a schedule of teams that were on the same level as your team. More successful teams have to play like teams. The Reds just cant play PIT and MIA and AZ for most of the season. Non or partially guaranteed contracts in the NFL helps teams quite a bit. When the Reds cut Moose, they still have to pay him his full salary.

Parity in NFL is more of an illusion. It just feels like it since it is only a few games most teams are still in it with 2 to 3 games left. But the numbers say there are more different champions and playoff teams in MLB you can pick 10 to x number of years

[Sea Ray]

MLB doesn't care about competitive balance.

You are correct...and neither do the players. It's just us fans who do

[Sea Ray]

The players already agreed to a luxury tax, which acts as a cap to all but a small minority of teams each year. It's not the lack of a cap causing this

I disagree that the tax acts as a cap. Billionaire owners like Cohen blow right through that and don't look back. A hard cap would keep that from happening

[Sea Ray]

Going back to 2010, the only team that has won the World Series without a mega payroll or at least near the top of the league is the 2015 KC Royals. And even their 127M in 2015 would be 156M right now after inflation. Hardly the Rays or Guardians.

You make a good point. Folks can, and do, mention over and over again that some high payroll teams don't win (Angels) and some low payroll teams do (TB, Cleveland) but that misses the point. There's a fundamental problem with your sport when payrolls vary from $38mill to $298mill like they do as of this moment

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

Just about no other league, fantasy or real, allows this sort of disparity. MLB needs a system where teams like the Mets and the Dodgers have to cut payroll while the A's and the Orioles pick them up and the result will be a much more competitive league. It is no fun to be a fan of a sub $100mill payroll and there are currently 11 of them, a third of the league

[Sea Ray]

Parity in NFL is more of an illusion. It just feels like it since it is only a few games most teams are still in it with 2 to 3 games left. But the numbers say there are more different champions and playoff teams in MLB you can pick 10 to x number of years

Parity about far more than championships. It's about who makes the playoffs and who wins in the playoffs. Right now the best teams in the AFC are Buffalo, KC and Cincinnati...3 relatively small markets. A few yrs ago the Steelers and the Packers were riding high. It's impossible for that sort of success in those kind of markets in MLB. 6 out of the 14 playoff teams in the NFL this yr were not there in 2021. That's good for the sport

[MoneyInTheBank]

I disagree that the tax acts as a cap. Billionaire owners like Cohen blow right through that and don't look back. A hard cap would keep that from happening

Thus "small minority of teams".

2022 - 6 teams
2021 - 2 teams
2020 - 3 teams
2019 - 3 teams
2018 - 2 teams
2017 - 5 teams

[Bob Sheed]

Thus "small minority of teams".

2022 - 6 teams
2021 - 2 teams
2020 - 3 teams
2019 - 3 teams
2018 - 2 teams
2017 - 5 teams

There's a fundamental problem with your sport when payrolls vary from $38mill to $298mill like they do as of this moment

As soon as you can argue against the above quote from SeaRay, then you may have something.