Out With The Old And In With The New
Baseball fans across the country shed a communal tear Sunday as Yankee Stadium closed its doors one last time. Fans who were in attendance witnessed a seven to three victory over the Baltimore Orioles—the Yankees 4,113rd win in the stadium (62.8 W%). As the stadium closes its doors and the franchise ushers in a new, high-tech stadium, it was fitting that Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees rising star, pitched part of the seventh and eight before handing off to Yankee mainstay star Mariano Rivera who seems to have been around almost as long as Yankee Stadium itself. Soon, much like the Yankees have closed the doors on Yankee Stadium, the Yankees will be forced to close the door on their longtime closer Rivera and pass the torch to Chamberlain or another up and coming star.
Clearly, the current trend in the MLB is “out with the old and in with the new.” Fittingly then, the Rays also clinched a playoff berth over the weekend and the Yankees will be spending this October watching two division rivals in the playoffs. Even the Yankees, who often appear stubbornly set in their ways, seem to understand that gone are the days where trading the farm and paying for talent leads directly to the World Series. As the Rays have demonstrated, while playing cheap and homegrown talent, it is possible to win without an influx of cash. Perhaps the Yankees should spend less on player contracts and more on their scouting department.
Still, it seems the Rays may be ahead of their time. The past two off-seasons have seen huge inflation of contracts for star players. Players who have recently been signed to huge contracts include Barry Zito, Alfonso Soriano, Torri Hunter, Juan Pierre, J.D. Drew and others. These contracts almost always spell trouble for the signing teams; however, the market has dictated that a lot of years and a lot of money are required to sign players of that caliber. Until teams recognize, as the Rays have, that there are other ways to win, player prices will continue to inflate to an unsustainable rate. With so much money locked up long term to aging players, the future of clubs such as the Cubs, Yankees, and other big-market teams looks bleak.
On the other hand, there will be a point at which the Rays can no longer afford their homegrown talent and the Yankees, or another clubs, will be happy to pay for the talent. At some point, however, the market will catch up with everyone and prices will have to deflate. Regardless of the long-term implications of the contracts, however, teams will again shell out large contracts this off-season. There are many high-caliber players set to hit the open market. Who could end up with a new team next year? Among others, Mark Teixeira, Rafael Furcal, Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Brian Fuentes, and Francisco Rodriguez are set for huge contracts.
The MLB off-season is the most exciting off-seasons of all professional sports. Ignoring baseball during the “off” months is a huge mistake if you want to have a successful 2009 fantasy baseball season. Here at MLB Front Office, we recognize the importance of the off-season. Unlike a number of major fantasy outlets who have already moved on from baseball to football, we continue our baseball coverage all year long in order to give you a head start on your competition. Over the course of the off-season we will come out with rankings, strategies, and more to help you for 2009. Be sure to continue checking MLB Front Office all off-season to make sure you don’t miss out on anything we have to offer!
Clearly, the current trend in the MLB is “out with the old and in with the new.” Fittingly then, the Rays also clinched a playoff berth over the weekend and the Yankees will be spending this October watching two division rivals in the playoffs. Even the Yankees, who often appear stubbornly set in their ways, seem to understand that gone are the days where trading the farm and paying for talent leads directly to the World Series. As the Rays have demonstrated, while playing cheap and homegrown talent, it is possible to win without an influx of cash. Perhaps the Yankees should spend less on player contracts and more on their scouting department.
Still, it seems the Rays may be ahead of their time. The past two off-seasons have seen huge inflation of contracts for star players. Players who have recently been signed to huge contracts include Barry Zito, Alfonso Soriano, Torri Hunter, Juan Pierre, J.D. Drew and others. These contracts almost always spell trouble for the signing teams; however, the market has dictated that a lot of years and a lot of money are required to sign players of that caliber. Until teams recognize, as the Rays have, that there are other ways to win, player prices will continue to inflate to an unsustainable rate. With so much money locked up long term to aging players, the future of clubs such as the Cubs, Yankees, and other big-market teams looks bleak.
On the other hand, there will be a point at which the Rays can no longer afford their homegrown talent and the Yankees, or another clubs, will be happy to pay for the talent. At some point, however, the market will catch up with everyone and prices will have to deflate. Regardless of the long-term implications of the contracts, however, teams will again shell out large contracts this off-season. There are many high-caliber players set to hit the open market. Who could end up with a new team next year? Among others, Mark Teixeira, Rafael Furcal, Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Brian Fuentes, and Francisco Rodriguez are set for huge contracts.
The MLB off-season is the most exciting off-seasons of all professional sports. Ignoring baseball during the “off” months is a huge mistake if you want to have a successful 2009 fantasy baseball season. Here at MLB Front Office, we recognize the importance of the off-season. Unlike a number of major fantasy outlets who have already moved on from baseball to football, we continue our baseball coverage all year long in order to give you a head start on your competition. Over the course of the off-season we will come out with rankings, strategies, and more to help you for 2009. Be sure to continue checking MLB Front Office all off-season to make sure you don’t miss out on anything we have to offer!
