In Houston, Jake Kaplan wrote the Astros' “record-setting” Opening Day payroll projects to exceed $120M. The Astros owe roughly $118M to their 18 players on multimillion-dollar contracts, the “exact sum of which depends on the outcome” of P Collin McHugh's pending salary arbitration case. The Astros opened last season with a $95.1M payroll and “haven't surpassed” $100M since ’09. GM Jeff Luhnow said, “We're probably going to have roughly a league-average payroll this year for the first time in a while, and I think that's going to continue to increase” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/12).
MILESTONE MARKER? Indians Chair & CEO Paul Dolan said that because of the team's run to Game 7 of the World Series last year and the signing of 1B Edwin Encarnacion, season-ticket sales have “increased to about 11,000 from an estimated 8,500 last season.” In Cleveland, Paul Hoynes noted over the last eight years, the Indians “have averaged 1.6 million in attendance,” but now it is “reasonable to expect the Tribe to draw close to two million fans this season.” It is something that “hasn't happened” since ‘08, when they drew 2.2 million after reaching Game 7 of the ’07 ALCS (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 2/11).
THREE’S COMPANY: In Tampa, Marc Topkin writes the Rays have "in essence, a three-headed department" over baseball operations heading into '17. The Rays in November promoted Chaim Bloom and Erik Neander to Senior VP/Baseball Operations, with Neander also serving as GM, and both are "working under” President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman. Silverman said, “It is a unique structure. But it works because of the uniqueness of their paths and the relationship they’ve been able to form over a decade.” Where some "see potential for delays or paralysis ... or even dysfunction and missed opportunity ... the Rays say it is a better way to use and apply their resources and can actually be expediting” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/13).
