The MLB Rangers won the AL West last season with a payroll between $130-140M, and that is "likely not going to change" for '16 or beyond, according to Jeff Wilson of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. The Rangers are likely to leave the winter meetings without "making a move of any variety, and certainly not the sexy, high-dollar kind of splash that breaks Twitter." Rangers President of Baseball Operations & GM Jon Daniels said, "We have a good club. We’re not looking to shake it up, to make major changes. There’s no sense of urgency or necessity to make a big splash.” Wilson notes the Rangers are "at the bottom of the payroll spectrum, they’re not going to be at the top," and since '10, when they were at the bottom, that "hasn’t been a major obstacle." This offseason "was never going to be about securing one of the big-money difference-makers who potentially would make the Rangers a clear favorite to repeat in the West." It is about "finding cost-effective moves that will keep the Rangers competitive." Daniels: "Our budget is in a range where there’s some room for growth, but this is about where I expect to be for the next few years" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/10).
BLUE JAY WAY: The Blue Jays' payroll appears similar to last year's, but President & CEO Mark Shapiro said that expenses "have gone up." MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm noted the Blue Jays finished the '15 season with a payroll of approximately $140M, and by most accounts, it will be in a "similar range next year." Shapiro, when asked about people believing the team's success has not led to revenue being reinvested, said, "That perception's wrong. Payroll is increasing a lot from last year to this year." Chisholm noted the team currently has approximately $135M "allocated to its roster next year and there are a few holes left to fill" (MLB.com, 12/9).
