In Cleveland, Terry Pluto noted the Indians' '17 payroll "will go up," though by how much is unknown. An MLB exec said that payoff for a trip to the World Series is "usually between" $10-15M. Other execs said that "most of the money goes into baseball revenue sharing, player pension funds" and other areas. Meanwhile, the Indians have "added about 1,000 season-ticket sales so far, raising their total to between 8,500-9,000 for next season." The team is "hoping that the excitement about the team will generate more off-season sales -- even if it's not in season tickets" (CLEVELAND.com, 11/19).
DEBIT OR CREDIT? In St. Louis, Jose de Jesus Ortiz wrote Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III "must open up the wallet." The Cardinals "owe it to their loyal fans to have a payroll among the top six teams in baseball, not 11th," as it was $120M at the start of last season. If the Cardinals do not start the season with a $180M payroll, fans will know the club is "playing out the season in hopes of a wild-card spot." DeWitt is "judged by wins and the business side." As a business, the Cardinals are "one of the healthiest teams in professional sports." Most franchises in MLB "wish they had the robust support that DeWitt’s team has from the local business community and the fan base" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/20).
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: A's co-Owner John Fisher last week took over as Managing Partner from Lew Wolff, and in San Jose, Tim Kawakami wrote Fisher "should’ve shoved out Wolff" and former President Michael Crowley "a long time ago, once the plans to move to San Jose were crushed." Crowley will become a senior adviser to the A's ownership group, though he and Wolff "should’ve realized that their leadership was only making a really bad situation much, much worse." The A’s have "run a skeleton operation for years, below major-league levels in almost every department except baseball operations." This "immediately will be changed" by new team President Dave Kaval, as the A’s will "operate like a real major sports business for the first time in a while" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 11/20).
GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: Former MLBer Torii Hunter on Saturday said he has had "several conversations" about a front-office role with the new Twins leadership under Exec VP & Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and Senior VP & GM Thad Levine. In St. Paul, Mike Berardino noted former Twins player LaTroy Hawkins has "already accepted a special assistant’s role" with the club, while former players Michael Cuddyer and Corey Koskie are among others who have been "mentioned as potential additions in special assistant roles" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 11/20).
