Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 23, 2007
Complaining About Salaries

We have our first owner complaining about high salaries:

"What concerns us the most at the moment is the free agency signings that have been occurring the last 90 days and could take baseball out of control", said Lerner, whose family took ownership of the Nationals last July.

Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Lerner. That's what happens when the game does well, players reap the benefits.


Posted by David Pinto at 10:51 PM | Management | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Fitting, of course, that the first complaint come from the organization that lost the biggest free agent this off-season (one which turned down their offer).

Posted by: Alex at January 23, 2007 11:05 PM

He's huge into free markets...unless those free markets negatively affect his bottom line.

Posted by: Kent at January 24, 2007 12:34 AM

What baffles me, isn't owners crying poverty, it's fans (general sports fans and specific baseball fans who grew up in 70's or before mostly) who moan about baseball salaries yet don't complain about Tom Cruise making $40m for one film.

Posted by: Peter Friberg at January 24, 2007 12:51 AM

who moan about baseball salaries yet don't complain about Tom Cruise making $40m for one film.

Hey, would you complain about the modern-day Jesus Christ's salary?

Posted by: paul zummo at January 24, 2007 09:52 AM

Peter, Peter, Peter. Scientology's own personal Jesus Christ deserves $40 million a film. Don't you think? I mean, he has to work all of 60 days for that money. It's hard work for Jesus.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at January 24, 2007 10:23 AM

Baseball would be better if it was a free market. It is not. Eliminate arbitration and grant players free agency after four years and with the additional supply no way does a player of Soriano's caliber get anywhere near $136m

Posted by: John Gibson at January 24, 2007 12:47 PM

Owners who cry poor are one of the few things that annoy me more than fans who insist there's nothing wrong with baseball's level of parity, or fans who insist that baseball can't survive without a salary cap.

Posted by: cwp at January 24, 2007 02:45 PM

Exactly who held a gun to anyone's head and said, "You *must* overpay for this player!"?

Okay, fine. *Aside* from Scott Boras, who?

It's funny, you'd think owners are a bunch of clueless babes in the woods who've never negotiated a deal before, the way they claim to be powerless to keep from spending money.

Posted by: Chris at January 24, 2007 06:08 PM
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