Sunday, December 03, 2006

Florida Marlins - the Chevy Aveo of Baseball

'Major League Baseball is awash in cash, having drawn a record 76 million fans and taken in a record $5.2 billion in revenue last season. And that money is trickling down by the bucketful.

'The sport's new TV deal, which kicks in next spring, will pay each club $20 million. And last summer's sale of the Washington Nationals netted each team another $10 million.

'Figure in the $195 million from MLB Advanced Media the teams will share and the revenue sharing, luxury tax and merchandising money that the majority of the 30 clubs will get, and it leaves most teams with about $50 million to spend before they sell a ticket.

'As a result, the Kansas City Royals are projecting a franchise-record $55 million payroll for next season. The Pittsburgh Pirates might top $50 million for the first time since 2003. The Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and Red Sox are spending big. And even the Tampa Bay Devil Rays paid a $4.5 million posting fee just to negotiate with Japanese infielder Akinora Iwamura.'

...And then there's the Marlins...

'"We still have our [revenue] challenges here," said Beinfest, whose payroll is expected to grow slightly, to between $22 and $30 million, still the lowest in baseball.' (MiamiHerald)

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