As opposed to Henry, Manfred rejects the notion that payroll is a good measure for a team's successgetty images
Red Sox Owner John Henry said that while there is "not a perfect correlation between a bigger payroll and winning, 'spending more money helps,'" according to David Schoenfield of ESPN.com. The Red Sox had the highest payroll in MLB in '18, on their way to winning their fourth World Series title since Henry became principal owner of the franchise in '02. During a media session Sunday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "I reject the notion that payroll is a good measure for how much a team is trying or how successful that team is going to be." Schoenfield noted that while many believe the luxury tax is working as a "de facto salary cap, driving down spending, especially in free agency," Henry does not "completely agree." He said the luxury tax "has an influence, but the biggest influence is trying not to lose money." Henry: "Even though people are frustrated and the players are frustrated with free agency, we're finding ways to spend money on other areas in baseball." Schoenfield noted the Red Sox and Nationals were the "only teams" to exceed the $197M luxury tax threshold in '18, with the Red Sox paying a penalty of $11.95M (ESPN.com, 2/18).
UNSUSTAINABLE SPENDING: Fans have been critical of the Cubs for their offseason spending, and Chair Tom Ricketts said of the team's available funds, "We don't have any more." Ricketts said, "We've been in the Top 5 in spending in baseball the last 5 or 6 years. We were in the top couple last year. We've put our money back on the field. Unfortunately, you just can't have a high-profile free agent every single year." In Chicago, Tony Andracki noted the Cubs are "currently projected" for an Opening Day payroll north of $212M, which would be a $30M increase from the $182M payroll last season. The '18 payroll was the "highest Opening Day payroll in franchise history" (NBCSPORTSCHICAGO.com, 2/18).
