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Again, the people that dislike Dolan will never learn. We CAN'T compete against the Yanks in terms of payroll (new network of not). We could NEVER has kept CC and Lee. Again, even Boston was pissed at the contract that the Yanks gave CC......and some on here thought we should have just "kept him because he was a Cy Young winner and grew up in the organization". It's not that simple.....ugh, they won't learn.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/Punchsmack/punch.gif) “...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
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I hope Browns fans that are also Indians fans will remember what it was like not having a team for 3 years, because I see a toxic relationship growing among so-called Indians fans and the team's front office. Dolan, imo, is being scape-goated for the fact that MLB has an unbalanced, unfair distribution of revenues, and no salary cap.
Keep demonizing the Dolan family and you might wake up one day to being without a team.
There are worse things, you know, than watching a .500 baseball team - take it from a guy who watched a lot of .400 teams in the 70's and 80's. Its still about warm summer nights, cold beers, hotdogs, and keeping score for a major league team, even if you don't win many (or any) championships.
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Again, the people that dislike Dolan will never learn. We CAN'T compete against the Yanks in terms of payroll (new network of not). We could NEVER has kept CC and Lee. Again, even Boston was pissed at the contract that the Yanks gave CC......and some on here thought we should have just "kept him because he was a Cy Young winner and grew up in the organization". It's not that simple.....ugh, they won't learn.
I'm not one of the "bad-mouthers" but, their hands are tied, and I think we all understand that. We're on the wrong end of baseball needing fixed, and that's where the frustration, for me, is. It's never going to happen in our lifetime(s). The real agony is, even if the pocketbook had been opened up in Cleveland for Lee or CC, we'd have gotten outbid, and the players would walk anyway. The height of the money is the problem. It buys loyalty where there isn't any in the first place.
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fans should never think that they could lose their team, because they become disinterested in a horrible product. that's unfair.
i don't fully blame the dolans for what the indians have become, which is basically a stepping stone for players to end up in big markets, but forcing shapiro's hand, and basically letting the rest of the league know you did so, was a cheap ass move by a cheap ass family last year. we got crap for cliff lee and they know it.
they didn't have to deal him. he had another year left, and instead he told shapiro to get rid of anybody worth anything. that's what fans are sick of. they are tired of getting attached to these players that end up getting dealt away or walking away on their own.
it's not working. it's not working. it's not working. this system doesn't work.
i didn't blame the dolans for dealing cc. he was obviously going to command big money, but dealing lee when he had another season on his deal is an embarassment to the city and fans.
just wait, as soon as sizemore gets dealt, which he will, it'll be like the 70's and 80's all over again.
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Under Dick Jacobs: 1998: $ 59,033,499 1999: $ 73,857,962 Under Dolan: 2003: $ 48,584,834 - Good to Dolan paying less in 2003 than Jacobs paid in 1998. Last Year: $ 81,579,166 - to start the year. At the end of the year our payroll was ? - You conveniently left that out. This year, the Indians are expected to have the lowest payroll in the Central Division at about $65million. - Second lowest in the AL next to Oakland. - That means that we have the second lowest payroll in the American League. - Your explanation for this? Also, you keep bringing up the Yankees Yes Network, but you do not mention that the Dolans own Sportstime Ohio. From wikipedia: SportsTime Ohio is owned by the Larry Dolan family, which owns the Indians team. It is operated as a separate business venture. It can be comparable to the New York Yankees' YES Network, as both were started primarily to broadcast each team's games, however they differ in that YES is owned by a holding company that also owns the Yankees, whereas STO is a venture separate from the Indians that is directly owned by Larry Dolan, Cleveland Indians owner. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SportsTime_Ohio- What about the revenue generated from sto? I mean, you're quick to point out inconsistent attendance, what about discussing Dolan's other revenue streams? What about discussing what happened to to the Indians being made available on free local tv at WUAB? - Dolan put an end to that and put them on STO because it brings him more money. You're obviously a smart dude, I'll give you that. But before you write me off as naive, you should look at all the other factors involved. Those of you defending Dolan had better understand that when the Indian's lease is up with Progressive field in the next 10-15 years, he will move this team and he will cite the same reasons for leaving as you guys are for defending him. He's an awful owner. He does not care about this ballclub or Indians fans. He will move this team outta here once his lease expires. He has proven that all he cares is his bottom line.
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That means that we have the second lowest payroll in the American League. - Your explanation for this?
That's easy. Adding 30 or 40 million to our payroll would still not make us a contender this year. Why should Dolan lose money this year when he can sock some away so that when we are close he can afford to add the final pieces to the puzzle? Throwing big money at a few big name players just to please some unwise fans is not a smart business decision
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Why should Dolan lose money this year when he can sock some away so that when we are close he can afford to add the final pieces to the puzzle?
I totally agree with this line of reasoning GM. I feel that this is a good strategy, however, it will not work out like this. Dolan will not spend the money it takes to add the final peices. - He never has before and I have no reason to feel he will do it now or in the future.
What leads you to believe that Dolan will shell out money when we are ready to add one or two final peices?
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Why should Dolan lose money this year when he can sock some away so that when we are close he can afford to add the final pieces to the puzzle?
I totally agree with this line of reasoning GM. I feel that this is a good strategy, however, it will not work out like this. Dolan will not spend the money it takes to add the final peices. - He never has before and I have no reason to feel he will do it now or in the future.
What leads you to believe that Dolan will shell out money when we are ready to add one or two final peices?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS.
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What leads you to believe that Dolan will shell out money when we are ready to add one or two final peices?
He did it last year and the year before that.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that $79 and $81 million is not a lot, especially for the Cleveland market.
However, I'm assuming you're talking about adding a $20 Million a year starter or something, and that's not a reasonable request.
you had a good run Hank.
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Under Dick Jacobs:
1998: $ 59,033,499
1999: $ 73,857,962
Under Dolan:
2003: $ 48,584,834
- Good to Dolan paying less in 2003 than Jacobs paid in 1998.
Bit of a cherry-pick there? In 1998, Jacobs had the full benefit of THREE years worth of complete sell-outs to help finance the roster. They also had a team that was ready to compete
By 2003, John Hart had completely gutted the farm system. We had a team full of guys on the wrong side of 30 and who couldn't get past the first round of the playoffs. Attendence was starting to dwindle, due to the Browns. Payroll was already over $70 million, some guys were looking for new/larger contract (Thome). The cash wasn't there to just splash another $20-$30 million to completely retool the roster, and there was nobody in the minors that was good enough to replace anybody. EVERYTHING was screaming for a rebuild. Rather than spend $70+ million on a team that couldn't get anywhere in the playoffs and possibly lose money, they traded the few assets we did have left and restocked the farm system. If you remember, they DID offer Thome a very reasonable offer, and he ended up taking the rediculous offer that Philly was offering (a contract they started complaining about almost immediately).
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Last Year: $ 81,579,166 - to start the year. At the end of the year our payroll was ? - You conveniently left that out.
Does it really matter that much? Most of the trades were done after 2/3rds of the season was done. THIS year ... in a rebuilding year no less, we have a $61 million payroll (http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2010/03/2010-cleveland-indians-payroll-chart.html), so the salaries averaged out over the course of the year probably wouldn't be any less than $70 million ... which is right there with the BEST payroll year that Jacobs had. And don't forget, that's with 20,000 LESS average attendance.
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This year, the Indians are expected to have the lowest payroll in the Central Division at about $65million. - Second lowest in the AL next to Oakland.
And we are in complete rebuild mode too. That's what you DO if you're a mid-market team and want to hope for a title-contending team. If you want ... we could have a $90 million payroll (resigning CC and Lee would of just about done that) ... and still have a team that struggles to make the playoffs (see years 2008/2009), while turning out 28,000 in attendence and letting Dolan lose about $20 million a year. Would that make you feel better? 
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- That means that we have the second lowest payroll in the American League. - Your explanation for this?
Rebuilding ... Year.
It's what you have to do if you aren't named "New York", "LA", or "Boston" and want to compete occasionally. Ask Baltimore and Seattle how those $90+ million dollar payrolls are helping them win all kinds of titles and playoff games ... oh wait.
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- What about the revenue generated from sto? I mean, you're quick to point out inconsistent attendance, what about discussing Dolan's other revenue streams?
I did mention that. STO doesn't make anywhere CLOSE to what YES generates.
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He's an awful owner. He does not care about this ballclub or Indians fans. He will move this team outta here once his lease expires. He has proven that all he cares is his bottom line.
He's not the best owner, but he's completely handcuffed by the rules put in place by MLB. As I showed above, he's spent quite a bit more than Jacobs did ... a guy some people think of as a complete saint. Jacobs benefited from a time where salaries were reasonable, the ball park was brand new, the Browns didn't exist and the Cavs sucked. He started "spending big" when the revenue was already there for him to use.
Dolan has to compete with the Yankees handing out $20m dollar contracts to anyone who's a good free agent, no salary cap, and 20k yearly attendance averages. He may care about the bottom line, but so did Jacobs and so does Dan Gilbert! They spend/spent because the revenue was there! You expect Dolan to take a $30 million dollar loss for 2 season in a row and PRAY that the team is good enough to win a world series and fill the park back up. That's just rediculous. 
I don't think Dolan is all that great of an owner, but he's seriously handcuffed with what he can do. And that's not his fault, it's MLB's fault. Bud Selig has ruined the league. Place the blame where it belongs.
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Why should Dolan lose money this year when he can sock some away so that when we are close he can afford to add the final pieces to the puzzle?
I totally agree with this line of reasoning GM. I feel that this is a good strategy, however, it will not work out like this. Dolan will not spend the money it takes to add the final peices. - He never has before and I have no reason to feel he will do it now or in the future.
What leads you to believe that Dolan will shell out money when we are ready to add one or two final peices?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS.
Oh I donno ... past history maybe?
2007: $ 61,673,267 (ALCS Appearance)
2008: $ 78,970,066
That's a $17 million dollar increase.
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the tribe 2007 team didn't really make any big time moves in FA to make the team better, it was mostly comprised of their own guys. and they got shelled against the bosox. they crushed our starters and our bullpen. trot nixon was a nice addition, but if you wanna win a world series, you have to get serious and be active in free agency, you have to make some kind of a splash.
and they most certainly did nothing to make that team better in 2008. we all know that.
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Oh I donno ... past history maybe?
2007: $ 61,673,267 (ALCS Appearance)
2008: $ 78,970,066
That's a $17 million dollar increase.
yes, but where is the improvement?
josh barfield? sal fasano?
they did absolutely nothing to try and be better than a team that got absolutely annihiliated after going up 3-1.
yes, choke and choke sabathia spit the bit. no doubt. but our bullpen was a disgrace in that series. it was embarassing. boston had their champagne goggles on before the series even ended.
this is what i hate about teams that do this. they tear their fanbases apart.
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They spent most the money keeping our own guys (something people complain about us NOT doing now) ... plus, did you expect them to increase salary by $40 million despite no major increase in attendance? Who could we have picked up for $20 million that free agency that would of made us instant contenders? Remember, that team didn't even make the playoffs in 2008.
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yeah, they were awful.
and i really think the attendance has always been bad, yes because of the cavs, and yes because of the browns, but i think the average indians fan does not trust ownership to be competitive ever year.
you mentioned were rebuilding. what is this, now the third rebuild in the last 10 years?
that's unacceptable.
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i think the bottom line is, would larry dolan ever make an antawn jamison like move? would he ever give shapiro that power, to bring on a guy of that caliber, with that kind of contract?
because while he is a solid solid player, we did washington a favor, financially.
i don't think if the indians were ever considered a favorite, that dolan would ever sign off on mark shapiro making a move like that, just my opinion.
i love the players on the indians, i probably always will, but that organization is not getting a cent of my money until things change.
and i absolutely despise how espn basically turns a blind eye to the entire situation.
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i think the bottom line is, would larry dolan ever make an antawn jamison like move? would he ever give shapiro that power, to bring on a guy of that caliber, with that kind of contract?
Money wise, it was pretty much an equal swap with Z for Antawn. What we didn't see was Gilbert sign Wally to a $11M contract and use that to trade for Antawn. Why? Because that would cost him $22 million dollars ... and that's the kind of thing people EXPECT Dolan to do.
The problem with MLB is that you have to outbid teams like the Yankees and Red Sox to get a guy who can make a difference. There's no salary cap to keep everyone in-line. You're looking at an easy $20million dollar contract, just for ONE guy. And unlike basketball where one guy can make a major impact, one guy in baseball is only 1/12th of your starters/rotation, and won't necessarily put you over the top. It's a huge gamble!
Just look at the Mariners. They are a great example. They had a decent team. They splurged BIG money on Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, hoping to put them over the top ... and where did it get them? Not only were they not making the playoffs, but they were handcuffed to two huge contracts that prevented them from signing anybody else. In the NBA, not only does the cap prevent players from getting rediculous contracts, but it also makes bad contracts valuable when they become expiring deals. In MLB, if you take a gamble on a Free Agent, and it doesn't pan out ... you are SCREWED.
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In MLB, if you take a gamble on a Free Agent, and it doesn't pan out ... you are SCREWED.
the same is true when you give that $$$ to your own guys and they stop being productive (thank you for that Mr. Pronk).
#gmstrong
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true, seattle made some moves that handcuffed them from signing free agents for the future.
the tribe doesn't even make those moves and they still sign nobody. they are so obsessed with doing it from within (great idea for the nfl) because it's cheap for dolan, and i think it's an ego thing with mark shapiro.
nobody wins with just their own guys, everyone has to make moves. everyone yaps about the marlins but nobody realizes some of the other moves they made aside from homegrowing very good players. (pudge rodriguez, anyone?)
they whine about attendance. well give the fans something to get excited about.
russell branyan.
really? russell branyan?
really?
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true, seattle made some moves that handcuffed them from signing free agents for the future.
the tribe doesn't even make those moves and they still sign nobody. they are so obsessed with doing it from within (great idea for the nfl) because it's cheap for dolan, and i think it's an ego thing with mark shapiro.
So what should they do then? Let guys like Hafner, Westbrook, CC and Lee go, and sign somebody else for roughly the same amount? It's going to be a gamble either way, and they really can't afford to do both.
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nobody wins with just their own guys, everyone has to make moves. everyone yaps about the marlins but nobody realizes some of the other moves they made aside from homegrowing very good players. (pudge rodriguez, anyone?)
Agreed ... after 2007, they Indians sort of got hosed by two things: One, both Westbrook and Hafner needed new contracts, so that took up a lot of the "free" money that could of been used for other guys. Two, I don't remember and big name free agents that we could of signed that year anyway. I had trouble finding a list of guys that actually hit the market ... I did find this:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/03/2008_mlb_free_a.html
Seriously, would anyone on there REALLY of put us over the top?
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really? russell branyan?
See, this is the ONE thing that does bug me about Dolan. He refuses to call things for what they really are. This *is* a rebuilding year, yet him and Shapiro try to act as if this is a solid product that should contend. They throw out a wasted contract or two for guys like Branyon to make an "appearance" that we are trying to spend money. The Padres do the same thing here. Call a spade a spade guys! It's a rebuilding year. Tell people to come down and support the kids that will be the future, even if the year might be a little rough. Save that extra $3-$5 million for a year when the kids and men and that one extra Pudge Rodrigez signing will put us over the top. I'd much rather see Triple-A player X or Y gaining big-league experience and Dolan saving money for a rainy day, than Russel Branyon striking out and burning an extra three million that could be used down the road.
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last offseason the big move was Kerry Wood. I disagreed with it because the $$ we spent on him could have been spent more wisely on Franky Rodriguez.
a dominant closer supposedly would help the rest of our bullpen. of course, he was neither dominant nor helped the rest of our pen much.
------------------
i've mentioned I dislike the Branyan signing. I think we should have done NOTHING in FA this offseason. I want to just play the kids and figure out which ones to keep.
we may do that anyway though as Bryanyan has yet to even take batting practice this spring because of his herniated disc.
#gmstrong
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Mark my words dude, Dolan will move this team once it's lease is up with Prog. field. - No doubt in my mind.
If he doesn't move the team himself, he will sell it to somebody who will move it.
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Where's he going to move it to?? All the major markets are tapped out, and despite being a mid-market team, Cleveland is still going to generate more money than most markets. The Expos could of moved just about anywhere ... they moved to DC, where they are still struggling.
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back on topic....
stupid Jess Todd might have just ruined our 'perfect' spring training.
2/3 inning 5 hits 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning
Chicago 5-4 in the 8th
#gmstrong
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i'm not anywhere near 100% sure about this, but i thought i read somewhere, that the indians, or any other charter AL member, cannot be moved from their current city.
again, i heard that awhile back, so i don't know if it is true and i don't have a source.
i don't see how dolan could move his team elsewhere, to a big city? where they expect you to spend money and if you don't, a bigger, badder, much more harsh media will make you out to be the worst guy in the world? won't work.
he's making money now. he'll claim he isn't, and he'll blame the economy for the lack of a mlb level team, but dude is banking.
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i'm not anywhere near 100% sure about this, but i thought i read somewhere, that the indians, or any other charter AL member, cannot be moved from their current city.
I don't believe this is a rule and could not find it in a quick search. If it is a rule, it is one they have changed after 1968 though as the A's moved from KC to Oakland (they are a charter member).
http://baseball.wikia.com/wiki/American_League
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Charter FranchisesStarting in 1901, the eight charter teams were the following:
Baltimore Orioles moved to New York (1903) and became the team now known as the New York Yankees
Boston Americans (unofficial name) became the Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Blues became the Naps and then the Indians
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis (1902) and to Baltimore (1954) and became today's Baltimore Orioles
Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City (1955) and then to Oakland (1968)
Washington Senators moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul (1961) and became the Minnesota Twins
[edit] Expansion and Relocation Summary1902: Milwaukee Brewers move to St. Louis, renamed "St. Louis Browns"
1903: Baltimore Orioles move to New York, renamed "New York Highlanders" (later "New York Yankees")
1954: St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore, renamed "Baltimore Orioles"
1955: Philadelphia Athletics move to Kansas City
1961: Washington Senators move to Minneapolis-St. Paul, renamed "Minnesota Twins"
1961: Los Angeles Angels and Washington Senators enfranchised
1968: Kansas City Athletics move to Oakland
1969: Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots enfranchised
1970: Seattle Pilots move to Milwaukee, renamed "Milwaukee Brewers"
1972: Washington Senators move to Dallas-Fort Worth, renamed "Texas Rangers"
1977: Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays enfranchised
1998: Tampa Bay Devil Rays enfranchised
1998: Milwaukee Brewers withdraw from the American League to join the National League
#gmstrong
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he's making money now. he'll claim he isn't, and he'll blame the economy for the lack of a mlb level team, but dude is banking.
I cannot prove he is not, but you cannot prove that he is. it is all perception as their books are off limits to us. I believe if he is making $$$, it's not much when the average attendance is in the 15-20K per game mark.
I'm trying to get together some more concrete numbers and I'll post them if I find them (avg. attendance, avg. Indians ticket price, actual 2009 payroll #).
Now, if you think that he is making anywhere near the $$$ (profit, not revenue) of the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, et cetera. Then, we can definitely argue.
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he's making money now. he'll claim he isn't, and he'll blame the economy for the lack of a mlb level team, but dude is banking.
I cannot prove he is not, but you cannot prove that he is. it is all perception as their books are off limits to us. I believe if he is making $$$, it's not much when the average attendance is in the 15-20K per game mark.
I'm trying to get together some more concrete numbers and I'll post them if I find them (avg. attendance, avg. Indians ticket price, actual 2009 payroll #).
Now, if you think that he is making anywhere near the $$$ (profit, not revenue) of the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, et cetera. Then, we can definitely argue.
i believe it was a few years ago that the yankees actually took a loss in operating income for the year, i know the tribe had a gain.
from 2007
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/33/07mlb_The-Business-Of-Baseball_Income.html
wow, hey at least the tribe is near the top of something.
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So, if those numbers go for the 2007 season, there goes the argument that attendance in 2007 wasn't good enough even though we had a successful club.
Dolan is raking in that cash boy. - At the first sign of trouble, what did he do? He got rid of Victor and Lee and told us to stick it.
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Mark my words dude, Dolan will move this team once it's lease is up with Prog. field. - No doubt in my mind.
If he doesn't move the team himself, he will sell it to somebody who will move it.
I think the Prog has something like 30 years left on it's lease.
I"m going to worry about it when it gets a little closer to actually being any sort of worry.
you had a good run Hank.
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Legend
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it's not all dolan, the league sucks, nobody is going to do anything about it.
but dealing cliff lee when he had a year and a half left on his deal was a cheapskate move, and nobody can deny that.
and the fact that philly basically knew shapiro was forced to deal him. we got robbed.
it's embarassing.
i might go see the indians at the cell this year, but i won't be going to jacobs field i mean regressive field i mean whatever-ad-revenue-field it is.
love the guys, love sizemore and cabrera, and i think manny acta is awesome, but beyond that dugout, i could care less.
it's a poor product in a league that is so unfair it's not even funny.
i've said it 8 million times on this board but i find it hilarious that bspn will whine and moan about the bcs and how unfair it is, yet not a peep about how baseball is killing the fun for anyone not in a top 10 market.
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Joined: Oct 2006
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Legend
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2009 Indians avg. ticket price = $26 note: not tickets sold. more cheap tickets tend to sell than expensive ones, so this is an optimistic number. 2009 Indians average ticket price -------------------------------- Indians avg. attendance 22,357 Indians attendance figures -------------------------------- Indians actual payoll for 2009 $66,757,366 + $3mil (1/2 season of Lee) + $3mil (1/2 season of Victor) ~=$72million 2009 w/o Victor and Lee's salary Cliff Lee contract 2009 victor martinez salary --------------------------------- so, taking this at it's rudimentary form (and yeah, this is really simplifying things). also, there's no way we were up at the league average for ticket price, but the Indians didn't release that info for what I can see. 22,357 * 81 games * $26 ~= $48 million = ticket generate revenue $72 million = payroll That means they have to come up with $24mil to make ends meet right off the bat. Yes, you can argue STO gives them something. But, does STO even pay for our minor league contracts, our latin american presense, or our FO and scouting teams? Then, there are concessions and merchandising. This is where I think they make up that difference, but again, it's not like he's rolling in $$$ every year.
#gmstrong
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Joined: Oct 2006
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oh, we managed to get another run aboard in the 9th to keep our record spotless
5-0-1 after the 5-5 tie today.
#gmstrong
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Legend
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There's no tieing in baseball!! 
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eh, he was still over the cap that year, and they probably wouldn't have to report the luxury tax check he has to write mr stern, because that comes later on, right? not sure.
but to the defense of mr gilbert, that 2007 team was pretty mediocre, somehow made the finals, yet he opened up the checkbook and since then has basically said winning is the top option for the cleveland cavaliers.
they made the finals, lost, and that simply wasn't good enough for mr gilbert.
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Yes, but my point is that Dolan isn't the huge skinflint that people make him out to be. He may be earning a profit (as the footnotes say, it's not counting other possible expendatures), but it's not grossly disporportional with all the other teams in the league. It's pretty much right in-line with everyone else.
Gilbert, is hailed as a "spend what it takes guy" ... but he's making just as much profit as Dolan. The difference is the league rules, not the owners.
A few other things to consider ... unlike Dolan, Gilbert *is* one player away from a Championship, so an extra $5-$10 million or so to pull in an extra guy is well worth the potential loss of profit. Dolan has never really been one-player-away, and even if he was ... MLB free-agency would likely require him to pay $20 million to bring that guy in. Gilbert also a major concern in keeping Lebron happy, as he's the golden calf. A $5-$10 million dollar loss in profits one year is well worth it if it keeps Lebron happy and in town to earn millions for him down the road.
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i'm not blaming it all on dolan, that is my entire point.
but that cliff lee move was a complete cheapskate move and a slap to the face of every single tribe fan out there.
he forced shaprio's hand.
just wait until sizemore goes. because i'm sure that's in the near future.
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Okay ... I understand your point, but follow me here. You have a $70M payroll and a team that's not a playoff contender, with a yearly attendance that can't even top 25,000 a game. You have a guy that's going to be a free agent in 2 years, who will likely command $20M plus by himself. You KNOW you're going to have to go into full rebuild mode for the next few years because the current team isn't cutting it, there's nobody in the minors who's going to jump in and make a huge difference and $20-$30 million dollars worth of signings isn't going to guarentee a World Series appearance. Now do you: A) Trade Lee now while he might have some value because he has a year and a half left on his contract. B) Keep him an extra year on a team that's not going to the playoffs anyway and HOPE that you can get the same trade value on a guy who will be a 6 month rental. C) Don't trade him, and hope that your $20 million dollar offer is good enough to beat the $20.1 million dollar offer the Yankees will offer him, because if it isn't ... you got nothing in return except a few extra wins in two non-playoff seasons. D) Offer him $25 million to keep the Yankees away and have one guy taking up 50% of your payroll, while you go through your two-three years of rebuilding your younger talent, not really being competitve, and still dealing with attendence that never averages over 25k a year (Because unfortunatly, Cliff Lee isn't going to pack in fans the same way Lebron can) ... Meanwhile praying that his elbow doesn't explode or he goes full "Carl Pavano" on you. It's unfortunate, yes ... but I can see the logic in it. If anything, Shapiro should of held out for more because he could always "try again" next year.
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Quote:
Quote:
Why should Dolan lose money this year when he can sock some away so that when we are close he can afford to add the final pieces to the puzzle?
I totally agree with this line of reasoning GM. I feel that this is a good strategy, however, it will not work out like this. Dolan will not spend the money it takes to add the final peices. - He never has before and I have no reason to feel he will do it now or in the future.
What leads you to believe that Dolan will shell out money when we are ready to add one or two final peices?
2006: 51m payroll
2007: 61m
2008: 79m
2009: 81m
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum 2010 Cleveland Indians: And you
thought your team sucked
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