As MLB begins the '12 season in earnest this week, it is "logical to wonder what is happening now that will, in a decade or two, be just as important" to MLB as new ballparks and "Moneyball" principles have been over the last 20 years, according to Tyler Kepner of the N.Y. TIMES. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow "struggles to identify the next big trend in baseball," but suggested that there are "a handful of issues teams could emphasize, including injury prevention." Kepner asked, "Freakish injuries are inevitable, but which body types are more likely to stay healthy?" Meanwhile, the Rays "come up often when executives talk about the game's innovations." The team has been "especially aggressive" in recent years by signing amateur talent to long-term contracts laden with club options. Braves Exec VP & GM Frank Wren suggested that teams could gain advantages by emphasizing "day-to-day game preparation." Wren additionally pointed to "technological advancements that can help players study data and video wherever they are." Wren: "The use of iPads is probably the next great wave -- for instruction, for advance scouting, for tendencies and how they’re utilized. Right now, it’s still illegal to use them on the bench, but instead of using advance books, we’ve got all that information on our iPads." Some teams have gained an advantage as a result of the "trend toward soaring fees" for local cable rights. Wren said, "Some of the newer deals are really starting to have an impact. We saw it in the free-agent market this year, where teams that are part of these new deals and revenue streams could jump into the market unlike any time before. I think it has a chance to be a separator." Kepner noted the Astros are a "long way from contention, but with their shared majority stake in a cable network starting this fall, they may not stay down for long." Luhnow said that if they "develop the farm system and revive fan interest," a TV deal "could help them rebuild 'potentially in a third the time as some other clubs.'" Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio said that cable deals "could have an even bigger effect than stadiums once did, and he stressed that they should be monitored closely to comply with revenue-sharing guidelines." Attanasio: "If somebody else, from a business standpoint, is better situated to earn money I can’t earn, I’m happy for them as long as it doesn’t create a competitive imbalance. What I don’t want to do is wake up one day and see that the rest of the league has $200 million payrolls, and we’re the Washington Generals" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/1).
POT OF GOLD: In DC, Dave Sheinin wrote it is clear baseball's landscape "has been altered significantly, and perhaps permanently." The balance of power "has not so much shifted as splintered in all directions, and the notion of two giant 'superpowers' lording over baseball is as outdated as a Cold War-era Hollywood thriller." There were still "hundreds of millions of dollars being spent this past winter, but it wasn’t coming out of New York or Boston, as both the Yankees and Red Sox mostly sat out the free agent market while preaching austerity." Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said, "Some of the new TV contracts are game-changers, in terms of revenues. There are always going to be haves and have-nots, but things have gotten very competitive now” (WASHINGTON POST, 4/1). Bevilacqua Media Company CEO Chris Bevilacqua said, "Stadiums are part of the equation, but media rights have a greater portion of the space right now -- this is the golden age of regional sports networks and of the media" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 4/1). Meanwhile, in Ohio, B.J. Bethel wrote under the header, "MLB's Opening Day Belongs In U.S." Bethel wrote MLB would be "best suited to concentrate on growth at home." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig "and company should find ways to embrace tradition while rebuilding its core audience" (DAYTON DAILY NEWS, 4/1).
