D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that the team's payroll "will be 'close to where we've been the last couple of years,'" seemingly indicating the D-backs "aren't expecting to bring back" free-agent RF J.D. Martinez. In Phoenix, Nick Piecoro noted the club "ended last season somewhere above" $105M and next year's roster "projects north" of $115M. That would "appear to leave little room for another big-ticket item like Martinez." Meanwhile, Hall said that the team has seen "strong numbers in its season-ticket renewals for next year." He said that the team "normally hopes" for an 80-85% renewal rate, and it is "already over" 90% for next year. Hall: "We expected the results to be strong and they have been" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/11).
STRICTLY BUSINESS: In Seattle, Geoff Baker notes the Sounders' Annual Business Meeting this year was "limited to about 100 people on site," but a livestream was done for the first time to "accommodate those who had complained they couldn't make it to past events." Previous years' events were "held at bigger venues and open to everyone in-person." Meanwhile, another Sounders GM vote "isn't due until next year's meeting." But management was nonetheless "peppered with questions on everything from the in-game experience, to security-bag checks, the Sounders 2 second-division squad's planned move to Tacoma next year and a ticketing switch to SeatGeek as the club's main partner." SeatGeek co-Founder Russ D'Souza was "on hand to explain what some of the ticketing switch means from a technology and experience perspective" (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/13).
WORKING IN HARMONY? In Tampa, Marc Topkin wrote the Rays are "obviously comfortable" that co-Presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman will be "dual team presidents and not dueling, but it still seems an odd structure to have no one person in charge." Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said that "nothing really will be different now" after the front office changes. Neander said his new role "comes with a little more autonomy and a little less of a day-to-day safety net." Topkin noted it also comes with more "visibility and accountability in everything from maintaining organizational culture to directing philosophy and channeling communication" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 11/11).
