In Milwaukee, Tom Haudricourt wrote the Brewers "never intended to return" to the $100M payroll the team reached in '12. The team's franchise-record payroll and "a so-so season in which attendance dropped from more than 3 million to 2.83 million" caused the Brewers to lose "several million dollars.” Projected to have a payroll of $80-85M, the Brewers “already are committed to about $65 million to players signed for 2013.” Team GM Doug Melvin said that Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio “wants to maintain flexibility should an unexpected player become available or an in-season addition could put them over the top in the playoff race.” Meanwhile, Melvin said the Brewers’ local TV contract will increase from $12M a year to “around” $21M in ’13, but added “that’s not even close” to what most other teams are getting (JSONLINE.com, 12/4).
NEW BLUE: In Toronto, Richard Griffin wrote Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has noticed his players “are excited and their free agent friends now want [to] play in Toronto." Anthopoulos said, “There’s definitely been more interest because of the commitment that ownership has made and it’s clear everyone believes we’re trying to move forward and make the club better” (TORONTO STAR, 12/4). Griffin in a separate piece wrote, “To use a horse-racing analogy, the Jays are the early speed, the Red Sox have positioned themselves well off the pace as a late closer. The Rays and O's are lurking and the Yankees stumbled out of the gate.” But the Red Sox “are the team to watch” (THESTAR.com, 12/4).
PENNIES FOR PIN STRIPES? FOXSPORTS.com’s Ken Rosenthal writes under the header, “Yankees Uncharacteristically Thrifty.” The Yankees are “in the process of building a team that could prove not only unsuccessful but also unwatchable -- a double whammy in an era in which regional television networks are the lifebloods of big-market teams.” If there “isn’t debate in the front office over the Yankees’ self-imposed austerity kick, there darned well should be” (FOXSPORTS.com, 12/5).
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': In L.A., Bill Shaikin writes the Dodgers “have the money to outbid all comers, and that could make other teams think twice before engaging in a bidding process they might have little chance to win.” They are “baseball's moneyed elite, the role formerly played” by the Yankees. The Dodgers are “what the Yankees used to be.” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, “I'm sure just about every article that's written will have some kind of note on our payroll” (L.A. TIMES, 12/5).
