Braves again watch while Phillies sign Lee, spend millions
If the Braves win a World Series with Liberty Media as the owner, it won't be because they spent millions in free agency. (AJC photo)
Let’s start with the obvious: Baseball teams don’t win championships in December.
If they did, the World Series would be on a consistent rotation between the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, often coming down to which team lost a pitcher to a hyper-extended elbow at the drive-thru ATM.
But December says a lot about aspirations and expectations, and the Braves’ owners, in the holiday spirit, once again look like Mr. Potter telling George Bailey to stick it.
The Philadelphia Phillies – whose team payroll already was about $58 million more than the Braves’ last season – just added Cliff Lee to their pitching staff. It gives them four pitchers (Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels) in their starting rotation who have combined for three Cy Young Awards, 13 All-Star games, two NLCS MVP awards and one World Series MVP.
It turns the Phillies — pending any other acquisitions of Albert Pujols or a Swiss Bank — into the overwhelming favorites to win the National League East, the N.L. pennant and the World Series, after which they can move onto other solar systems.
But this isn’t about a division rival adding one pitcher. It’s about the Braves being stuck with one owner.
General manager Frank Wren has conceded several times that he has to work within the confines of a budget, while trying not to step on the Bruno Magli covered toes of team owner Liberty Media. Fans may live for checkbook roster building in the winter, but the Braves don’t have that option.
This is Greg Maffei. He makes more than the entire Braves' roster.
Liberty Media doesn’t really care about you, or the product, or the fact that the Phillies’ team payroll has jumped from $89 million in 2007 to $142 million last season. They don’t hand out peanuts and foam tomahawks at stockholders meetings. They hand out profit-and-loss statements.
In sports, we want owners who are as passionate as the guy who’ll show up for the Tuesday night game against the Florida Marlins. Sorry. You get the owner whose luxury suite remains empty on a summer weekend.
A recent Wall Street Journal survey of the nation’s top 10 paid CEOs showed Liberty Media’s Gregory Maffei’s total compensation was $87.1 million, four times his financial take of the year before. The Braves’ total payroll last year: $84 million.
Question: Can Maffei play center field or hit leadoff, because the Braves are still a bit thin in those areas?
Somebody once said money doesn’t buy happiness but it enables one to pick their own misery. Applying that to sports: Money doesn’t guarantee the Phillies are going to win the World Series, but it gives them a significant advantage over the Braves when they go shopping.
Wren told our Carroll Rogers that the Lee signing, “really has no impact on the construction of our roster.”
What would you expect him to say? “Dang! We should’ve signed Carl Crawford!”
Wren robbed the Marlins of Dan Uggla. That strengthened their lineup and will enable them to move Martin Prado to either left field or third base. But they’ve still got issues. They’re banking on Chipper Jones being able to come back from a torn ACL, and he turns 39 in April. They’re banking of Freddie Freeman being ready at first base. Most of all, they’re banking on some combination of Nate McLouth and Jordan Schafer not being a train wreck again in center.
With the Phillies signing Lee, some are now screaming for the Braves to acquire Zack Greinke from Kansas City. But the Braves really don’t need another starting pitcher. The rotation of Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe and Jair Jurrjens doesn’t have the marquee value of Lee-Halladay-Oswalt-Hamels. But it’s better than most. What the Braves really need is a proven center fielder and/or leadoff hitter and/or another bat (especially if Jones can’t come back). But the lack of cash flow precluded them from going after somebody like Crawford or even Jayson Werth in free agency, or absorbing a big contract in a trade.
Once again, the Braves must shop with coupons. Sometimes that works. But it’s not the way to build hope.
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312 comments Add your comment
Smug
December 16th, 2010
9:05 pm
The only comments that I’ve seen a few times that make me chuckle is that the Phillies lineup is getting older and therefore it’s injury prone…BUT, there is great optimism that Chipper (39) will come back from injury and have a great season.
)
Andrew in PA
December 16th, 2010
9:46 pm
Cheap bastards, Ted where are you help us.
flippster
December 17th, 2010
1:26 pm
I love how the media/fans assume that anyone over 30 is “old” and “over the hill.” Players today keep themselves in better shape than the players in the 50s and 60s did. Sure most of the Phillies are between 31 and 35, but they still have more than a few good years ahead of them. And I thought 60 was the new 40.
Skeezix
December 17th, 2010
10:12 pm
Liberty Media is a corporation owned by thousands of faceless shareholders. I hate it that a large corporation owns the Braves. I would much prefer one owner or a small ownership group.
My bet for next year is that the Braves will compete for first in the NL East. To accomplish this, I’m assuming that eventually the CF problem will get resolved.
PS: I sure wish we still had Wagner.
Skeezix
December 17th, 2010
10:15 pm
Can the Phillies be beaten? I’m still celebrating that the Giants shut down the mighty Phillies machine and shut up their obnoxious fans.
Tom Izzo
December 17th, 2010
10:18 pm
Just because I gave a job to a recruit’s relative doesn’t mean I’m cheating.
Hammond B3
December 18th, 2010
5:48 am
OK
on paper the Phils look pretty strong but none of us know what is going to happen when they take the field, I like our pitching and I really wish Mr. Blank would buy the Braves, to be honest we and I mean all of us if we pack the Ted every game there is no limit Go Braves
Ken Strickland
December 19th, 2010
12:14 pm
You might as well stop making an issue of the Braves not spending money to acquire big time players, especially pitching. As long as the franchise is CORPORATELY OWNED, the franchise will be held to a limited budget. Sports franchises are more profitable to corporations as tax write offs, rather than income producing investments.
They establish a point where the team either breaks even, or doesn’t lose money, and then milks the franchise for the tax write offs it can provide. Salaries are the most controllable aspect of any franchise. These corp don’t care about filling their stadiums or arenas to capacity, or even near capacity, as long as they don’t lose money.
As long as the Braves continue losing money, ON PAPER ONLY, the corp owners will never give them a budget that will allow them to go after quality players that can take the team over the top.
Army Strong
December 19th, 2010
5:04 pm
As Gwinnett Fred pointed out a while back, you can spend money when fans come to your games. The Phils have around 45,000 showing up every home game. We have a little less than 30,000 a game. Simple math Braves fans; go to games and the money will be there. The budget is likely set after looking at the revenue ticket prices, parking, and concessions bring in. It isn’t some random figure. This team will win, come out and watch it happen. Then, you will get your money laundering super stars.
Ozzie
December 20th, 2010
2:15 pm
Every year you post something like this and every year you are the voice of reason. Hopefully after the 2011 season Liberty Media (it is not Liberty Financial folks) in Colorado sells the team.
If they don’t I hope Selig replacement makes their behavior (no interest in team, never attend a game, payroll frozen, etc) issue. Liberty is not good for baseball well at least ATL baseball.
Selig was a corporate shill and should have never let TW trade the Braves to Liberty as part of a tax dodge deal to exchange assets/settle debts between the two companies.
He could had demanded the Braves be sold at that time but instead he caved and hoped Liberty would make good on increasing payroll and being an active owner.
Between TW & Liberty this team has been rudderless at the ownership leve for over 10 years. It’s amazing they have not come in last place every year and or have a 50mm payroll.
They are great for the NL East as they are determine to make the Braves the second lowest payroll team in the division.
Thank goodness the Marlins are run but a cheap stake.
Don
December 20th, 2010
3:24 pm
Army Strong & Gwinnett Fred – you have it right. You also have to factor in the Phillies’ ticket prices are higher.
Are the Phillies aging? Of course. Ibanez is 38 and Polonco is 35. But, everyone else is 29-32 (except Brown who is 23) I can’t think anybody would actually be banking on them being in a serious decline. It’s not quite like they’re 39 and coming of ACL replacement. If anything, it’s not likely their entire infield will have off years as badly as they did in 2010.
Ken Strickland
December 21st, 2010
3:31 pm
OZZIE-I don’t know how far back you go, but during the futile days of the braves before Ted Turner took over, the team was owned by another coorporation, Cox Broadcasting. To be honest, the only success this franchise has seen, at least on a consistent basis, was when Ted Turner owned the team.
It’s funny, the Braves are being held hostage by corp ownership, and by teams that are loading up and investing heavily in quality starting pitching. This is a formula for success that was established by the Braves. Another problem is Chipper Jones. When he’s healthy, he produces big time, but he’s seldom healthy for any extended period of time.
We also need to stop platooning LF to save money. We need a left fielder with:
1-the ability to play solid DEF and cover a lot of ground,
2-the speed and ability to steal bases,
3-the ability to draw walks, put the ball in play and consistently get on base.
Any player that can do all of the above shouldn’t be measured strictly by his batting average. Also, if McLough can return to form, or if Shafer can live up to expectations, that would give us a solid #2 hitter, and a very solid 1-2 punch at the top of our order.