baseball season starts tomorrow
They were sold last off-season (2011-12). The move was allegedly a condition of the sale, imposed by MLB.
Oh, and they're going to be HIDEOUS this year. Don't be surprised if they lose 110+.
March 30th, 2013 at 10:27 PM ^
...rather astonishingly cheap. Here's a list of team payrolls courtesy of Deadspin. There are slides on this page which show individual salaries by team. The Astros will be heading into the season with a payroll just a shade over $24 million, about $5 million of which is leftover salary for Wandy Rodriguez. Only eight players on the Astros' roster making $500,000 or more, and only 4 making more than $1 million.
Of course, payroll and success aren't necessarily correlated, but I think only the Marlins have managed to get it near this low in recent history.
March 30th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
I don't even think the Marlins came close to this low.
You don't have to spend $200 mil to contend, but at this point I don't think you can compete at anything much under $50-60 mil, and certainly not under $30, which is where Houston is now.
March 30th, 2013 at 11:30 PM ^
Don't forget the reallignment in the NHL with Detroit switching conferences...crazy
I'm pumped to see what this Tigers team can do. Hopefully we live up to the hype and come out rolling
I for one am very excited about my Braves. It'll be tough to replace Chipper and the most complete team in baseball probably (the Nationals) plays in our division, but it's tough not to get pumped about the potential of the Uptons x 2 in combination with Heyward, Simmons, Freeman, etc. Not to mention seeing Tehran in the big leagues after dominating Spring Training. We'll probably set a new NL record for SO, but we'll hit a ton of bombs as well.
As for my 2nd favorite team, the Tigers should really have no problem running away with the Central, but it's a treat to watch talent like Verlander, Cabrera, and Fielder play every day. Not too long ago, this team was absolutely terrible and the great fans of Detroit deserve an awesome team like this.
Also completely unrelated, but screw the Phillies. Hope you enjoy the best 3rd place finish money can buy.
Less excited about my Dodgers. They've become Yankees West and now are supposed to win. Wha?
You haven't seen anything yet with the Dodgers. They're about to out-Yankee the Yankees when it comes to spending.
We already are, more or less.
Greinke can at least pitch...hell of a price for a #2.
Crawford, Gonzalez, Beckett...three brutal contracts. Gonzalez the best but very good, not great. Unknown Korean guy,
We were getting warmed up when they gave Uribe 10m / year. Don't get me started on Ethier.
And the money really does take a lot of the fun out of it. LA is expected to win...
i live in southern pennsylvania so last year was a major surprise with the orioles having a winning season and going into the playoffs. not sure what to think or expect this season
in the series (went with my brothers to comerica, that was nice) i can't get the picture out of my mind from game 3 where the tigers looked like they couldn't be beaten fast enough. they looked like it was a pain to be at the park in the cold and their at-bats were pathetic. we even had cabrera come up with the bases load, ala mighty casey, and no runs to show for it. assuming the tigers play well this year, i'll probably get more into it as the year goes on but it'll take a while to get the taste of that nasty world series performance out of my mouth.
Question for you Tiger fans. Do you think they're showcasing Porcello so that they can trade him for a closer? I drafted Drew Smyly because I think he has the stuff to be a good starter but I need him to find a way to get in there. Long reliever isn't going to cut it.
March 30th, 2013 at 11:14 PM ^
I don't think so. First, Porcello pitched really well in Lakeland, beating out Smyly on merit. Secondly, and much more importantly from my vantage point, a team needs 7-8 starters over the course of the year. Last year Scherzer, Fister and Smyly all spent time on the DL, or had to miss starts, and someone needed to make up those innings. After Porcello, there simply aren't many palatable options, unless you're in a hurry to see the Duane Below and Casey Crosby Show.
March 30th, 2013 at 10:09 PM ^
March 30th, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
And spring brings hope for my Cubs and Royals. More for the Royals this year, though. Nice spring training, but that really doesn't mean a lot.
March 30th, 2013 at 11:32 PM ^
Wouldn't surprise me to see the Royals finish 2nd this year. Good things are on the horizon for them.
As for the Cubs, at least they aren't the Marlins. Sorry, but that's the only nice thing I can say about that team this year.
Very pumped. Had my draft yesterday and ended up with far more low-power guys than I had hoped, but am happy with my rotation.
And Verlander versus Vance Worley to start the season? Eat 'em up Tigers, eat 'em up.