SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball, after selling the remaining stake of its streaming video company to Disney for $900 million, certainly has piqued the interest of the players union, which will closely follow whether that influx of money will be re-invested into player salaries and team payrolls.
MLB, which sold its remaining 15% in BAMTech earlier this month, provides an influx of about $30 million per team. There were nine teams who still had payrolls under $100 million last year, with only six teams that exceeded the lowest $230 million luxury tax threshold.
The payroll disparities also resulted in a great divide of competitive balance among teams on the field. There were 14 teams that finished at least 20 games out of first place in 2022, including 10 that were at least 30 games out of first. There were four teams that lost 100 games, and four that won 100 games.
Now, with teams collecting uniform patch revenue for the first time, increased TV rights, and potential expansion fees on the horizon, there’s no excuse for teams — perhaps outside Oakland with its stadium woes — to intentionally tank.
“The industry is doing well,’’ union executive director Tony Clark said Wednesday afternoon at the Major League Baseball Players Association meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona. “The industry, I believe, is better when all 30 teams are competing for the last team standing. And we believe that the system is designed to provide that support.’’
Clark, who received a five-year extension this week, said he has been pleased so far in the early returns of the free-agent market. New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz received a record five-year, $102 million contract — the most given to a reliever in baseball history — and 35-year-old Jose Abreu signed a three-year, $58.5 million deal on Monday. There are nine players on the free-agent market expected to command contracts exceeding $100 million, led by New York Yankees MVP Aaron Judge, who should receive in excess of $300 million by the Yankees or San Francisco Giants.
“The value, we think, there has been a healthiness to the conversations early, and we’re interested to see how it manifests itself over the long haul,’’ Clark said. “But with the game having returned already from a financial standpoint, we remain optimistic that things will continue to progress positive.’’
FREE AGENT RANKINGS: Top 87 players available this winter, led by Aaron Judge