- The major league minimum salary was $316,000 last year. It will be somewhat higher next year; there’s an escalator which is tied to revenues or average salary or something. My guess would be $330,000.
- One thing this means is that trading players like Adam LaRoche who don’t make much more than the minimum (he made $337,500 last year) doesn’t help the ballclub’s finances at all. You just replace him with someone else making about the minimum.
- Also, this means that the real savings of trading away, say, a $2 million contract are more like $1.67 million, even if you replace the player with a rookie. Any veteran free agent, even one signed to a minor league deal, will make more.
- The Braves have only a few players who make significant money. The median salary for the Braves last year was the $1 million Julio Franco and Raul Mondesi got.
- Everybody gets a big raise in arbitration. The most fringe of players — Kevin Gryboski, say — will more than double his salary during his first arbitration year. A good player will make more money in his first arbitration year than in his life to date.
- This means that guys like Sosa, Estrada, and Ramirez will get big raises, even if (like the last two) they had bad years. All will make more than last year’s median salary.
- Given all of this, it’s hard to find the additional $4 million for Furcal unless you trade Thomson and/or Giles.
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Thanks Mac, you’ve officially DEPRESSED me with that posting.
I will point out that sometimes, trading a bad player simply helps the team because that player’s presence in fact HURTS THE TEAM…I.E…LaRoche, Estrada & Ramirez. Kolb obviously. (I will throw in Reitsma as well).
I frankly don’t care WHO OR WHAT replace those 5 guys but in a perfect world, none of those guys would wear a Braves uniform EVER AGAIN.
I thought we were playing with house money given Hampton’s injury. Insurance should pick up 80%, no?
Or was last year he being paid by the Marlins or something?
The insurance is supposed to pick up 2/3, I think, of Hampton’s salary. The Braves claim that they put $8 in escrow for him each of the last two years, but I don’t believe it.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia named the top catcher in the minor leagues by Baseball America. Chuck James named a top 4 starting pitcher in the minors.
I would rather the Braves keep Giles instead of Furcal. Furcal’s defense is excellent, but he’s overrated as a leadoff hitter because he has speed.
Between Thomson and Furcal, I think I would take Furcal. I think the Braves are more likely to find a 3rd/4th starter than they are to find a SS who is equal to Furcal.
I take Furcal over Thomson because I don’t see an adequate defensive replacement.
I think that although the braves might miss hampton in the rotation, getting out from under his contract will allow money to be spent elsewhere and they can plug in thomson or another of their young starters in for considerably less. Even if Furcal is offered and accepts arbitration, it will allow their future SS prospects another year to prove if they belong in the majors.
I think everyone will agree an extra $4M for furcal to keep him is better than keeping thomson. as far as the 3rd starter then, going back to the kenny rogers 1-year idea, any idea what his price will be? he made $3.4M this year.
Don’t we also pick up some moeny from guys like Kolb, Jordan, Mondy, and few others not being on the team. Plus Chipper has said he will fix his contract to free up some money (how much, we don’t know)
Maybe there is a slight chance that Time-Warner will let us expand the budget.
Oh wait, no there’s not
I think an NBA-like sign and trade with Thomson would be a good deal if we can get a cheap lefty our of a deal somewhere that can be a #3 or 4 guy in the rotation.
The savings from dumping Kolb, etc. will mostly be taken up by various salary rises. That’s my basic point (it wasn’t that clear, I’ll admit); you can’t find much money on the fringes, so bringing more in has to take away from the core.
If only we could get all that damned Hampton money.
I don’t think keeping Furcal is a priority. I would rathe rhand Betemit the shortstop job and spend the Furcal money on a lefty starter and at least 2 good relievers; getting at least 3 pitchers this offseason should be IMPERATIVE. I think our offense with the young guys and Betemit at short will actually be Ok enough.
As for the Kenny Rogers…I like it. I don’t like him but as a 1 year option until a Chuck James is ready? Gosh, it makes sense.
Ok…how great would it be if Terrence Moore tried to interview Kenny Rogers…there’s a reporter beatdown we couild ALL get behind 🙂
Dont forget everyone, that Hamptons salary is only covered by insurance when he can’t play. We still have several more years with Hampton under contract. We may get an $8 million windfall this season, but that salary could be back on the Braves books in ’07, along with Furcal if we resign him.
Granted, along with Hampton’s salary comes Mike Hampton himself, which is good. But if Thompson is gone by ’07 I wonder who’s going to start at the 3rd spot in the rotation until Hampton (hopefully) comes back after the all-star break. Also assuming Smoltz is still ace quality by then.
The Gambler and Jarrod Washburn look like the only 2 leftie starting pitcher free agents. I assume Washburn will be too expensive for us.. Rogers was born in Georgia and grewup near Tampa. You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em.
I think there is some real considerations for believing that the Braves payroll might nudge upward this year. Putting aside attendence, revenues for all teams from ESPN’s expanded television deal (going into effect next year) plus rising revenues from MLB.tv and finally the impending sale of the Nationals. Granted, Time Warner could pocket that new money without the Braves seeing any of it (probably likely with regards to the sale of the Nationals), but there’s some leeway for a marginal increase in payroll of a few million next year.
Allen,
There’s another rising source of NEW revenue: XM Satellite radio. I have it in both mine and my wife’s cars and the subscriptions id practically doubling each year so that should also add a lot of extra revenue for the Barves.
Plus, despite all the “rips” Braves fans continue to take from the media, our attendence overall was up this year.
Bottom line is you maybe right about extra funds being available.
As for Hampton’s $8 million insurance, hey, we only may need it this year if we sign Kenny Rogers to a 1 year tender. Plus, if the gambler is actually from Georgia, that also fits the bill.
It would hold down the fort very nicely until Hampton comes back in 2007 and also Chuck James being ready…in 2007 that suddenly gives us a veteran and rookie lefty to join Hudson and Smoltz and whomever the third righty is in the rotation assuming Davies will be dealt by that point and I have a gut feeling so will Sosa.
Of course, this is also assuming (hopefully) we can at least trade Estrada and HoRam and get some relief help and maybe a shortstop if we don’t trust Betemit to take over (though I am willing to see him get a shot at the job).
A Kenny Rogers signing would not excite me. In fact, it would anger me, as that would tie up money that could be used to get other, better players. He’s 40 years old, people. And he’s a jerk. Why would we want him? I just don’t see Schuerholz doing this, unless his plan is to sabotage the Braves before heading up to D.C. with his buddy, Kasten.
Yankees got permission to speak with Mazzone…
Yeah, that was mentioned on the previous thread. I don’t think there’s any way Leo’s leaving.
Leo could also use them to get a raise. He has one year left on his current contract.
any chance Kelly Johnson would be considered for SS if Furcal walks or his defense is just too bad for that position
Read that the Braves payroll will stay at around 80 million again this year. I think Braves.com.
Right on analysis, Mac. Help with the payroll only comes at the expense of trading one of our core players. IHMO the most tradeable ie the one where we get the best player(s) back and the most salary flexibility would be, and I’m sure that I’ll be called a bunch of names, Andruw.
Let the flames begin.
KJ’s defense was so bad that they’d rather play Betemit there, does that answer your question?
Alex, I think that the XM money goes into the general media pool and is divided evenly among the teams. The amount for any one team is pretty negligible. And Bud has done a great job of discouraging anyone from pursuing new media streams by grabbing everything from the Internet.
“I think everyone will agree an extra $4M for furcal to keep him is better than keeping thomson.”
Sure — but Thomson’s gone after 2006 regardless. If we resign Furcal, his 10 million a year will still be on the books when about half the team is up for arbitration. It’s the years, not the money, that worries me about a potential Furcal deal.
The Braves will be hard pressed to match the Cubs offer for Furcal. Living in Chicago, the media makes it seem that Furcal is already signed. Now with the Sox going to the WS, the Cubs are going to up the ante. The Cubs have over 20 million from Nomar, Sosa and others. Both Zambrano and Dempster will get some money, but the Cubs could easily afford Furcal.
Honestly I would rather have Thompson. As many have said we can easily trade him this winter for help as legit starters are a steal for 4.5 million.
On a different topic: Why do we need a lefty starter? It seems to me that a lefty will make more money than a righty with the same stats. Has anyone done an analysis to see if left handed pitchers are overpaid?
First, MAC, I don’t think Betemit’s defense is bad…it’s comparable to Chipper which is also solid but not great. It’s just not the over the top “flare” that Furcal has. Look, let the Cubs overspend…we have more pressing needs in the bullpen and rotation.
Stu, once again we disagree. I agree that Kenny Rogers is a jerk (though I think he will be a hero in Atlanta if he punches out Terrence Moore) but we are TALKING ABOUT A 1 YEAR CONTRACT. How exactly would a 1 year deal TIE THE BRAVES HANDS UP? It’s one year. It’s a guy who can still get people out and fills in the blanks while we are missing Hampton and Chuck James is getting ready. Rogers (especially as a Georgia native and the fact that hes a lefty and still talented) is the perfect one year stopgap.
Again, the focus has to be the bullpen at ALL COSTS. That bullpen killed us all year. There’s just no way we can keep Furcal so we need to let it go and hope that JS has some trades up his sleeve.
Well, Alex, if Rogers makes say, 4 million (probably a low estimate), that’s 4 million (5% of the overall budget) that could be spent on an outfield bat or on your precious bullpen. That’s how it ties up the Braves, even for one year. I would trust Chuck James right now about as much as I’d trust Rogers, and Chuck is a lot cheaper. I really think signing Rogers would be a big mistake, and I would be absolutely shocked if Schuerholz does.