NL Takes Early Lead In Offseason Spending On Free Agents

Melvin Says Free-Agent Market "Getting A Bit Out Of Line"

So far during the MLB offseason, “most of the big dollars have been spent by” NL teams, according to Buster Olney in his ESPN.com blog. In the same “manner in which some executives believe that the [AL] built up its competitive advantage,” the Cubs’ “aggressiveness this offseason has forced other NL teams to reassess the market.” With the Astros signing Carlos Lee to a six-year, $100M deal, Olney wrote, “I bet that when the offseason began, [Astros Owner] Drayton McLane would have never fathomed spending $100[M] on [Lee]” (ESPN.com, 11/25). Lee’s contract is the largest in Astros history (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/25).

MARKET SHIFT: Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who “has authority from owner Mark Attanasio to boost the club’s payroll within reason,” said, “The free-agent market is getting a bit out of line. It’s beyond our means and beyond a lot of teams’ means. The money is kind of scary.” Attanasio: “We need to build a franchise for the long term. We can’t completely hamstring ourselves by paying a lot of money for very average or above-average players. I hope our fans don’t get frustrated with that” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/26). Meanwhile, Pirates GM Dave Littlefield “firmly rejects the notion that the Pirates cannot be players in this manic environment for player acquisition.” Littlefield noted that the players “he can trade are made more valuable with each signing that sends the free-agent market deeper into orbit.” Littlefield: “If the free-agent market gets expensive, you would think, in general, that the trade market would increase, as well, as far as value” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 11/26).

PAYROLL NOTES: A WASHINGTON TIMES editorial stated the Nationals “act like a small-market have-not ballclub even though the team’s economic fundamentals do not require it.” The team’s ’06 payroll of $63.3M was the 11th lowest in MLB. As the “market shakes out following big signings” by the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs and the “remaining top 10, the Nats will almost certainly find themselves forced to pony up more money than last year, or else be even less competitive” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/25)....The Royals are projecting a “franchise-record payroll that could reach $55[M], but that still ranks near the bottom” of MLB’s 30 franchises. Royals GM Dayton Moore “contends the Royals have greater financial flexibility this offseason than many clubs ... because they possess fewer long-term contracts” (K.C. STAR, 11/27).