There’s a psychological benefit of sorts gained by being in the bottom tier: you can’t go any lower. Sure, you can finish in the Gimp Room and lose your job and all that, but with regard to strategy there are certain pluses to be had. Even more so the first season after you have been relegated.
For starters, because the budgets are derived from the previous year when your club was at the higher level, you end up with a decent wad of cash at your disposal.
In our case, Owner Mark Shapiro has given us $75m to play with. With our current payroll sitting at just over $20m, that leaves us with $55m to spend.
But…
The flipside of this is made manifest the following year, when the economics of being in the lower level take root. The trap as I see it is in overcommitting yourself that first year, leaving yourself vulnerable with little to spend the next season. So, while our official budget might be where it is, I’m actually working off my own ceiling of $50m.
Another corollary of being in the bottom league isn’t so obvious at first look: the inability of players to exercise a relegation opt-out. Sure, this caveat can be included in the contracts we sign this season, but they are only enforceable from Year 3 at the earliest, and then only if we get promoted and then relegated in successive years. These sorts of factors are more important than they might seem, not least because they offer you some security and stability in your playing group moving forward.
I am most keen to make a “statement signing” – a big-name (and, therefore, big-money) acquisition that lets the other clubs know we mean business. But, given the circumstances, this has to be for the right player. Even with our budget leeway, we have very little room for error. Roger Clemens, for example, simply isn’t that type. $10m per for a young player who only makes an appearance every 5 days isn’t the sort of bang for our buck I am after.
One who undoubtedly is:
Bill Pierce. In addition to his proven skills on the diamond, he is a true leader who plays both Catcher and CF and is extremely popular with the fans. Sadly, after we make a 3-year / $35m pitch to him (which is at the very top of our range), we are quickly priced out of the running. He ends up signing with Philadelphia for less. Go figure. Guess he’s chasing the Penthouse life. Kids these days...
Next, we try IF
Vinny Castaldo, but this also goes nowhere.
So much for that idea. I'll revisit it in the new year.
In the meantime, we’ve made offers to SP Mike Witt (3-yr/$8.5m), SP Dave Fleming (2-yr/$8.4m) and RP Mike Stanton (1-yr/$300k). Of these, only
Witt has signed up by the time the Draft is upon us.