Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said the club's '21 payroll remains "fluid right now," but it is "not going to be having the same sort of growth-minded outlook that we've had with the payroll over the last number of years," according to Patrick Saunders of the DENVER POST. Bridich said, "We have some business decisions to make and we will have to continue to make those, most likely." Saunders notes the Rockies had a projected $150.5M payroll for '20, the 12th-highest in MLB, and that "would have set a franchise record, had it not been for the pandemic." It also "would have marked the seventh consecutive season in which the club's payroll increased" (DENVER POST, 12/4).
UNCERTAINTY ABOUNDS: Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti admitted the club does "not have a hard specific number for payroll." He explained, "As we are all living in a very uncertain world, there are a lot of variables out there right now and we’re hopeful as we gain more information over the coming weeks that will become a little more clear to us as to what we might be able to do." He added, "What we’ll continue to try to do, and we talked about this even before the pandemic, is we want to make sure we manage our roster and finances in a way that gives us a chance to be sustainably competitive" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/4).
