The Reds' move to sign 1B Joey Votto to a 10-year, $225M extension “is an irrational decision,” and unless team President & CEO Bob Castellini is “planning to increase payroll dramatically, it is a decision that will shackle the Reds soon,” according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSPORTS.com. If you give the Reds "every benefit of the doubt,” it is still hard to see how the extension “makes sense.” If there is “one thing the new age of baseball analysis taught us, it’s that emotional decisions are often irrational decisions -- and that irrational decisions on $100 million and $200 million contracts often suffocate a franchise.” Castellini “made an emotional decision on Votto.” Rosenthal noted “most teams spend in accordance with their revenues.” The Reds “do not appear to have the revenues to support a $100 million-plus payroll, which is where they will need to be, at the very least, when they are paying Votto an average of $22.5 million a year from 2014 to 2023.” Votto was under contract “for two more years, and Castellini decided to award him monster dollars through age 40, anyway.” The Reds, “coming off a division title, ranked only 16th in the majors with an average attendance of 27,327 last season” (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/3). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said, “If Joey Votto were to get hurt, then all of the sudden the Reds are dead basically for the foreseeable future because they have such an enormous portion of their payroll wrapped up in this one guy” ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN Radio, 4/4). ESPN’s Colin Cowherd said, “Yankees, Detroit, these big market teams can roll the dice. They can whiff, or they can make a mistake or overpay, it doesn’t matter. ... The school teacher cannot roll the dice on an investment. It can ruin a retirement. The Cincinnati Reds are not in a position financially to spend this kind of money” (“SportsNation,” ESPN2, 4/3).
REVENUE STREAM TO INCREASE: In Cincinnati, John Fay wrote fans can read "several things into Joey Votto’s mega-millions deal with Reds.” A team source said that the club is “convinced its revenue stream will increase.” Part of that “comes from national television, part of MLB other new media revenue sources.” Also, the club is convinced that it will be able “to get a new local deal with Fox Sports Ohio before the current one expires in 2016” (CINCINNATI.com, 4/3). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "You’ve got to wish for good health so you can keep him out there to keep your fans rolling in. You need gate in addition to whatever media contracts you have that are producing revenue. But also, if you can get a World Series, just one -- and goodness knows if you get two out of this -- it doesn’t matter what happens when you back in, you’ve bought so much good will. But you’re wishing it works early” (“PTI,” ESPN, 4/3).
DOMINO EFFECT: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes when Guggenheim Baseball Management last week bought the Dodgers for $2.15B, it "sent a signal that their new owners, once approved, will act aggressively in bidding for free agents," and other owners "have taken the hint." The Giants re-signed P Matt Cain on Monday to a five-year, $112.5M extension, the same day the Reds locked up Votto. Both teams had "long hoped to re-sign the players." But the "sleeping superpower" in L.A. is "waking up, and free agents love a team itching to spend." The Giants "paid Cain a premium to keep him off the market, as the Reds did with Votto" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/4). In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty wrote small-market teams "too often have to let those sorts of players go.” Votto is "one that didn’t get away," and it is “time for the Reds to keep building” (CINCINNATI.com, 4/3).
