padres: the sad truth (documentary) (San Diego, Anaheim: income, live in, rich)

[bloom]

Well-done youtube multi-parted documentary - data-driven, honest, practical recommendations

[tonyinsd]

Why would you sign Chase Headley to a long term deal when he's only delivered for one season?

This one year deal is beneficial to both sides. If Headley does deliver the same kind of numbers as he did last year, then he will be compensated for it. If he doesn't, the Padres -- who are one of the teams who can least afford to make a mistake with a long term deal -- don't overpay for him.

Besides, Headley is under the Padres control until after the 2015 season. Why ink a long term deal with a guy who has only done it one time, and who you control for three more seasons?

As for the payroll being $40 million, that's just plain wrong. It's around $57 million and that may go up before opening day.

I really don't understand some people. You'll ***** about how the Padres overpaid for, oh, I dunna, Giles, but then you'll turn around and say they're not spending enough money. Make up your mind!

They are revenue constrained and will always be. They have to spend smartly.

What would you have them do? Pay $13 million for Haren? For what? Marquis had similar numbers and cost $10 million less.

[futbol]

Headley is an up and coming star. He has performed well more than last season, but yes, last season was his best. Unlike pitchers, position players are more likely to be consistent year to year. They need to lock him up for more than one year and grow those top prospects on the Padres farm system. That strategy worked for the Rockies several seasons ago.

The documentary's numbers would disagree that the Padres payroll is $57M. Even Kevin Towers said that the Padre payroll (a couple seasons ago) 'starts with a four'. It is in one of those interviews. I know Tower's gone, but the documentary does not gloss over any of the data.

[tonyinsd]

If the documentary says that the Padres payroll in 2013 is 40 million, then we can throw it out as a piece of garbage. Here is what Baseball Prospectus says.

Baseball Prospectus | Compensation | Baseball Prospectus

Yes, I rounded up. $56.61 million rounds to $57 million. But that's a whole lot more than $40 million.

[futbol]

I'll have to watch the part of the video where he breaks it down again tonight, at least for the 2013 season.

[echo42]

I just watched it and I gotta say I agree. Padres have been floundering for some time now. I will play along. No games for me this year.

[tonyinsd]

In fairness to him, maybe he didn't add in the $8 million for Headley.

Towers has been gone, so his comment about a payroll in the fours is outdated.

Still, they are increasing payroll. They are not signing people just to make a splash. And they probably won't.

The way a small market team like the Padres has to do it is to draft smartly, hope the prospects pan out, and if they do, after five or six years, they will be traded for more prospects.

Even the Yankees have realized that they can't just dump money on free agents. The Padres definitely can't.

[armourereric]

When I moved here in 1996, I was not a big baseball fan. I did not become a big fan until 2003 when I opened my business in Wynola and could enjoy game broadcasts on FM. Being able to hear all the games made me a dedicated fan and i started to attend 4-5 games a year, then the FM station dropped the all sports for oldies then cut the games out all together, only broadcasting them on a limited signal AM station, and my interest waned. Not only could I no longer hear the Padres at my business, but it became difficult to hear the games at my home in Ramona, and my interest waned. I now live in Boulevard and know it is not reasonable to expect a good clear radio broadcast of the Padres, but it is real pathetic that I can hear 18 games a year, when the Padres play the Diamondbacks courtesy of a 500,000 watt Yuma station 93.1 FM that can blast a clear signal all the way to freakin Alpine, and in Alpine produces a clearer signal than the San Diego staion. If the Padres desire better attendance, it would be beneficial to get a deal with a station capable to braodcast well into at least Julian and Pine Valley or Campo. I think is systemic of the Padres problems that the Diamondbacks have a superior broadcast network family of stations.

I do sometimes listen to the games when shopping in El Centro. I enjoy some of the rural radio sponsorships such as the "Chevron Agricultural Lubrication products of El Centro slide into the plate"

[magnum0417]

The Padres were aggressive only a couple times with raising payroll. Both times resulted in World Series appearances.Signing Garvey was huge back in the day. Living in PHX, the Diamondbacks are in the same boat. Modest payroll that cannot compete with the new ownership in LA and the proactive approach SF takes. I am amazed the investors who bought the Padres for 800 mil are not raising payroll to atleast 75 mil/year. It's pathetic. Both AZ and SD will be battling for .500 the next decade while SF and LA will take turns winning NL West Pennants. It's sad when you know you are out of the race before it begins.

[tonyinsd]

There's spending wisely, and then there is spending just to spend.

Yes, the Padres could have spent another $20 million and that could have gotten them a big name free agent.

For one year. But the big name free agents want severl years and they can't do that.

Anaheim can carry Josh hamilton if he gets hurt and they have to carry his salary. The Padres cannot.