MLB (Non-Phillies) Hot Stove, 2024-25

[flyers19rw]

Then he can build it

[zambonir]

He wants a retractable roof so they can host Super Bowls and Final Fours but still have outdoor football too. The' lease is until 2032, and I would think there's not a lot of land available if the currently planned projects actually come to fruition. They would probably have to end up at the Navy Yard.

And yeah, nobody's going to want to pay for a new palce. Either way, if he wants these things to happen while he's still running the show and able to enjoy it, a renovation makes more sense. Question is can you actually play an NFL season (or two?) through it?

[andyb]

The solution might be to tear down the current stadium rather than repair it. The damaged roof really gives them an excuse to do that even if it means an extra year or two in Tampa. When you re-use an existing site it is always easier than using a new one, especially if most of the logistical hassle (i.e. not having any stadium for a few years) already exists.

[zambonir]

Yeah but nobody wants that either (not the team, league or city). The new one is supposed to be downtown and part of a bigger redevelopment. The land is already there. The construction delays, cost overruns and possible future economic problems that already sunk this agreement exist either way. Maybe it would be cheaper to do there but it would be a less successful/less lucrative endeavor.

He's either gonna get permission to move, be forced to sell, or they will go back to the table. Staying in St Pete or doing something with Tampa or Orlando would still be the goal; for one thing MLB has no interest in losing any future expansion markets with another move.

(Actually, looking at it more closely, it is already being built at the same site? They just plan to develop around it to make it more connected to downtown. And just since this fell apart someone has already offered to buy and develop the non-stadium portion of it, which would also create the possibility of either forcing Sternberg back to the table or just waiting to work with new ownership.)

[andyb]

Orlando might be better weather-wise in terms of frequent rain in the Summer - and also has the built-in tourist advantage for selling tickets.

[Philsmania]

https://bsky.app/profile/jjcoop36.bsky.social/post/3lkho4pofyc2c

Simple solution!

Those field dimensions would be Philadelphia Ball Park/National League Park a/k/a Baker Bowl risen from the grave. By the way, Baker Bowl was never actually its name.

They could a!ways make those right field seats retractable.

[zambonir]

Wherever they go (if they stay in the region) it will have a roof. Orlando is only a tad smaller of a metro area than Tampa-St. Pete, even if they are probably hyping the tourist economy. The proposed ballpark is near Sea World but 15 miles from Disney.

One of the reasons they might also like Tampa is it would be closer to the full-time residents who live between Tampa and Orlando, rather than all the retirees and tourists who are on the West Coast.

[andyb]

The issue is much more having a population that wants to go to games. Those with disposable income often are not in Florida in the Summer. Orlando fills in with tourists just like Vegas will. Some metro areas just are not great for baseball for reasons that are not economic.

[zambonir]

Well I agree it's probably not great for baseball for either residents or tourists. And while I think the idea that a bunch of Yankees or Dodgers fans will go to Vegas to see baseball makes some sense, I can't really see the same for a family taking a Disney vacation.

[BostonRoss]

Compared to Disney World, MLB tickets will seem like a bargain!

[zambonir]

Well we're already falling behind the Dodgers for best record in the NL.

[allentown]

Anything can happen in the playoffs and an injury plague can happen to any team in any season but, as of today, the Dodgers are clearly the top team in the NL, and it isn't even close. In fact, it is so far from close that MLB needs to make changes to salary cap and deferred contract cap accounting, and the signing of international players to avoid returning baseball to the days when the Yankees bought Babe Ruth's contract and dominated baseball for decades. In the NL East, we now have the Mets following he same path.

[zambonir]

We'll be missing about four months of baseball if they really try to do the salary cap. That really would be more about artificialy depressing overall player salaries, not parity.

And deferrals should really be a boon for any team, the Dodgers just figured out how to take advantage of it while also still having the most money. There's really no excuse for the Phillies not to do it. You still have to put the money in escrow even as you get the tax dodge, but the Phillies have enough money, especially with new ownership partners who share MIdddleton's aggression rather than the Buck/old-guard conservatism. And the smaller market teams could still do it on smaller deal (I.e. they'll never sign Soto but if someone like the Royals, says, wanted to sign Ranger, they could).

[dcsman]

How does MLB achieve parity without a salary cap and salary floor? Genuinely curious because I'm also not a fan of the way the economics in baseball is right now.

[andyb]

Much more revenue sharing. In the NFL it is more than 80% of revenue (obviously because of the national TV deals). In basketball it is a much higher share too. Baseball is somewhere in the 33%-38% range I believe.

I do wonder if there is a world where the players would agree to something substantially different that had salary floors. I imagine the union does see the disparity between the top and the bottom of the scale. If they increased revenue sharing to 50%, added a salary floor, and then created some sort of soft cap where you could resign your own players for more like the NBA it would definitely be a more level playing field.

[allentown]

We'll be missing about four months of baseball if they really try to do the salary cap. That really would be more about artificialy depressing overall player salaries, not parity.

Both are ridiculous. Baseball isn't strengthened by rules which allow a team like the Dodgers, and very soon the Mets and Yankees, to dominate by huge expenditures, unequal access to foreign players (including by cheating). I believe the salaries of most baseball players in MLB, and certainly the major destruction of the minor leagues, is driven by this system. It's like saying workers salaries in America would be harmed if Musk had to pay 35% of his annual income in taxes, rather than all the tax avoidance built into the tax code for rich people, or if investment bankers lost their carried interest exemption and had to pay full income tax rates on their $tens of million income. Fully guaranteed, and hugely deferred contracts for $half billion aren't good for baseball. They reduce, rather than increasing, the salaries of average MLB players. Baseball won't thrive, and likely won't survive with the current number of teams, if all but a few teams are reduced to Bill Gile's strategy of providing 'family friendly entertainment' with a team having zilch chance of winning.

[dcsman]

Andy, great response! I agree and nominate you for Commissioner.

[allentown]

I think that works but something still needs to be done about international player acquisition.

[andyb]

Not sure I want the headaches to go with being commissioner. Though I guess that means I can just show up at CBP any day and sit behind home plate.

[julio]