Nov 02
Last year we knew the Rays payroll was going to go down. And with the departure of several high-priced free agents, along with the trade of Matt Garza, the payroll went from $71.9 million in 2010 to $41.1 million this past season, a drop of more than 40 percent.
Stuart Sternberg has not made any public declarations about this year’s payroll, but his recent comments on attendance suggest that the team won’t be in a hurry to add too much money to the 2012 payroll. However, based on the Rays projected payroll for 2012, they may not have a choice.
If the season started today, the Tampa Bay Rays payroll would be approximately $52.1 million. That is an increase of 27 percent over the 2011 season. This is based on raises already built into existing contracts, and projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players and players in their first three seasons.
Here is the breakdown of the projected payroll. Notes on the table, and additional thoughts can be found below…
Notes on the projected 40-man roster and payroll…
Sep 21
Yankees manager Joe Girardi knows a thing or two about managing a team with a small payroll. In 2006, he led a Florida Marlins club with a payroll in the neighborhood of $15 million to 78 wins.
So if he says there are advantages to having a small payroll, we are willing to listen…
How do the Rays hang with two of Major League Baseball’s juggernauts? Aside from drafting well and developing terrific young pitching, perhaps they’re able to remain competitive, in part, because of the us-against-the-world attitude that their small-market status cultivates. Though Tampa (sic) won the American League pennant in 2008 and the AL East championship last year, Rays players said they remain unburdened by the same level of pressure that their counterparts in big-money, big-media markets might feel.
“It can be advantageous,” Girardi said of managing a team with a low payroll. “You go out there, and the guys are loose. But [Tampa] (sic again) has a little bit more experience than what my club had. The club I had hadn’t been to the playoffs and didn’t really know what it took. This club does.”
We don’t know. The Rays know every game is important. Does Girardi really think that kids in their early 20s are “loose” when they go into Fenway Park or Replica Yankee Stadium? Maybe. But if they are, it is because that is the atmosphere Joe Maddon creates. And we find it hard to believe that they don’t feel as much pressuse because they make less money.
Sep 13
Stuart Sternberg made the trip to Camden Yards last night where he partook in some Boog’s BBQ (for a few minutes we thought he said “booze” which left us puzzled). He also held court with the media and spoke about this “wonderfully improbable” season, and some other off-the-field topics.
But among the numerous quotes, there was one that caught our attention (more highlights below; via Marc Topkin)…
On Andrew Friedman’s future:
“Andrew is a partner here, he’s a partner of mine. And he treats this organization even better than I possibly can. There’s nothing to report on [possibility he will become a GM with Cubs or Astros]… We’ve been at it now, it’ll be six years, and it doesn’t feel like six years, and I would think we would keep the band together another six years.”
The attendance and payrolls quotes below are really nothing new. But maybe the most telling quote was Sternberg calling Friedman a “partner.”
Does World B. Friedman have equity in the team? He is not listed among the Rays twenty partners. If not, is Sternberg suggesting that Friedman will have equity in the team in the future?
Sternberg is a very Read the rest of this entry »
Jun 29
Stuart Sternberg is in town!!! And you know what that means…Hide the children, Stu has got some things to get off his chest. Here are a few of the soundbites…
On the attendance:
“It’s well below expectations…it’s not the first time”
On adding payroll via trades:
“Winning is still paramount to everything we do. Doing what’s best for this organization is paramount to everything we do. They’re one in the same. Yes, that will always be an option.”
But Sternberg added that adding payroll has to be done within the context of “what it means for future years.”
In other words, no matter how well the Rays Read the rest of this entry »
May 18
We are just moving past the quarter-pole of the 2011 season and so far, the Rays and Royals have the most efficient rosters in baseball, paying just $440,000 for each win. [BUSINESS INSIDER]
May 16
The Yankees ($197M) and Red Sox ($160M) have two of the three biggest payrolls in Major League Baseball. At the other end, the Rays ($42M) are only outspending the Royals ($36M). But according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, it is the Rays that have an unfair advantage in the AL East.
Baseball poverty isn’t a blessing. But it is not quite the curse you probably think it is.
And Sherman sets the tone early. It seems to us that most people these days understand that a team can win with a small payroll. That is not the problem. However, with a large payroll, it is much easier to win consistently. The fact the Rays have been in the playoffs twice in last three years just emphasizes how difficult it is. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Yankees rarely miss the playoffs.
One reason they lean toward success is baseball poverty. Or, more accurately: Finding the advantages in working with the second-lowest payroll in the majors.
So which is it Sherman? Are the Rays succeeding because they are poor (as you state in the first sentence)? Or are they winning in spite of their payroll (as implied in the second sentence)?
This is not about pitying the deep pockets of the Yankees and Red Sox…
Then don’t.
…[this is] merely recognizing some problems even come with bountiful resources. Remember there is no more inefficient way to spend money than on big free-agent contracts; the dollars-for-performance success rate throughout the life of those deals is tiny.
Jesus Christ. I think I just had a heart attack in my butt. Sherman makes it sound like every huge free agent contract is a bust. Alex Rodriguez? Mark Teixeira? CC Sabathia? Mariano Rivera? Are the Yankees anywhere in 2010 if they didn’t give those guys big contracts?
Besides. One of the biggest advantages Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 01
Well, we knew the payroll was going to go down. And now that the opening day roster is set, we know just how far the payroll has fallen.
Last year, the Rays opened the season with a $71.9 million payroll. This year, with several high-priced defections, the opening day payroll will be $41.9 million. That is a drop of 41.7% from a year ago. Of course, that is close to the $43.8 million opening day payroll in 2008, the year the Rays went to the World Series.
[Update: Marc Topkin tracked down the actual salaries for the players making close to league minimum]
Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 27
With the recent additions of Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Kyle Farnsworth, here is an updated look at how the Rays 40-man roster and 2011 payroll would look if the season started today. We will have more on the opening day roster later today…
Notes on the 40-man projection…
- A legend for the table can be found below.
- Players in white would be on the 25-man roster. Players in grey would be on the 40-man roster but are projected to start the season in the minors.
- Justin Ruggiano, Elliot Johnson and Adam Russell will be out of minor league options.
- Stuart Sternberg said Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 14
The Yankees will pay Rafael Soriano $11.5 million in 2011. And with that addition, the Bombers are now projected to pay their seven relief pitchers more than the Rays will pay their ENTIRE ROSTER. But hey, at least the Charlotte Stone Crabs are better than the Tampa Yankees. [Business Insider]
Dec 22
[Update 2] With the signing of Kyle Farnsworth ($3.0M in 2011), the projected payroll is now $35.4 million.
[Update] With the trade of Matt Garza, the Rays now have a projected payroll of just $33.3 million. That is quite a step down from $71.9 million a year ago. Of course there is still time left to spend some of the money saved. We’ll see if Andrew Friedman and Co. do pick up a bat and maybe a reliever or two to shore of the roster.
We knew the Rays would be cutting payroll in 2011, and after seeing several members of the 2010 roster sign with new teams and Jason Bartlett traded to the
Padres, we now have a better idea of what the roster and payroll will look like next season. In fact, at this point, the Rays have already cut their payroll in half. Below is the 40-man roster and payroll projection based on players currently in the organization.
Notes on the roster can be found after the table…
Notes on the 40-man projection…
- A legend for the table can be found below.
- There are currently 36 players on the 40-man roster. Players in white would
Read the rest of this entry »
