MLB Commissioner Bud Selig today said the proposed trade between the Blue Jays and Marlins is now under league review, though it has yet to be formally submitted. Selig following quarterly owners meetings in Chicago said there is no timetable for a decision, though he said he was "very sensitive" to the concerns of Marlins fans regarding the departure of many veteran players. Selig: "I want to think about this and review it. I want to be my usual painstaking, cautious, slow, conservative self in analyzing this. … There are a lot of variables. The questions regarding the Marlins fans are very fair and it's a question I'm extremely sensitive to. I'm aware of the anger."
He added he "talked to two independent baseball people who tell me the Marlins did very well" in the trade in pure player and roster development terms. Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria and Blue Jays President & CEO Paul Beeston left the meetings without comment. The commissioner added he was not concerned about the trade and unrest over the Marlins' publicly financed ballpark potentially harming future stadium deals. Selig: "Every one of these situations has its own indigenous characteristics.”
Selig addressed several other issues:
A's Relocation: Selig said there was no update regarding the team's bid to move to San Jose. The special committee appointed by Selig in '09 to study the matter met again here. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't ask," he said in response to a reporter's inquiry on the subject. "But you're not going to get an ... answer."
TV Contracts: As expected, owners today formally ratified $12.4B in new TV contracts from ESPN, Fox and TBS covering the '14-21 seasons. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be getting $12.4 billion in contracts," Selig said. "There was a lot of applause from the owners on that one."
Attendance/Revenue: Selig expects overall MLB attendance to increase in '13 for the third consecutive season and industry revenue next year to top $8B for the first time. "We're doing very well. The sport has never been this popular," he said.
