D-Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that the team, whose local TV contract with FS Arizona expires after next season, is "'getting very close’ to securing a new deal that will cover either 15 or 20 years,” according to Nick Piecoro of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. It is expected FS Arizona will renew its deal with the team for "at least double or maybe triple the previous contract," which was reportedly worth $31M a year. That figure is short of newer RSN deals, such as the one inked by the Rangers, who “reportedly are taking in” $80M annually from FS Southwest. Hall said, “I think it'll be very similar.” Meanwhile, Hall said a D-Backs payroll of $90M for '15 is “probably a number that makes a lot of sense right now." He said that it is “possible the team could stretch” into the $95-100M range, but “one complication is the cost of picking No.1 in next year's draft.” Piecoro notes the D-Backs will “have a little more breathing room” once the RSN deal is finalized and the club can “take advantage of the TV money” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/29). However, SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Ourand & Fisher cite a source as saying that Fox Sports has put its renewal negotiations with the both the Cardinals and D-Backs “on ‘a slow track’ until a leaguewide local streaming deal can be worked out with MLB.” Fox is “not able to cut any streaming deals with individual teams until it reaches an agreement with MLB” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/27 issue).
