Beltran willing to resign with Astros

Definitely agree with you there. If McLane is such an astute businessman and has lost so much money since owning the team, the why the hell keep the team?

Just sell and cut your losses.

 

I believe he is one of the few owners on the Forbes 500.

But the criticism of him is a bit unfair. Houston doesn't bring in the revenue like New York or Boston or other towns.

Apparently gunn and bigboymumu think that since he is rich he should be held to a different standard from other owners and be content with losing money.

 

According to the 2003 Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans, one Robert Drayton McLane Jr. ranks in at 195. To the best of my knowledge that is substantially higher than any other owner in baseball. I do believe that Arte Moreno of Anaheim comes in a distant second, and Steinbrenner is near the bottom of that list.

 

No, Houston is not Boston or New York, but Houston is a good baseball town. And you know how to drive up revenue? You put a damn team on the field that gets people excited. The Yanks and Sox do just that, the Stros don't.

 

Going to the Yankees.

No Source.



just obvious.

 

Not really. He negotiated with Pettitte's agent for a couple of weeks, and then sent everybody he could think of to go convice Roger to come out of retirement. It's not like those guys were calling, begging to play for the Astros.

One that doesn't even come close to bringing the revenues that the Yankees deal with the YES network does.

We do? Really? It's a God-given right now? Please. Save it.

Prove it.

 

Refman,


One that doesn't even come close to bringing the revenues that the Yankees deal with the YES network does.

What a joke? What a ridiculous statement? How much did Drayton pay for the team? What type of return would an astute businessman expect for a team with the Yankees' type of revenue? Who the heck is comparing the Astros' revenues with the Yankee's revenue? What does this have anything to do with the Yankees? Let me spell it out for you... Drayton is full of sh#$! That has nothing to with any other team!


Prove it.

The proof is in the pudding. If you're going to say you're losing money, prove it. If you're not going to prove it then don't use the excuse. Are you seriously naive enough to believe this businessman loses money on the Astros? Why hasn't he sold? "SAVE IT"! YOU PROVE HE IS LOSING MONEY!

Please, talk to me about finances! I do this everyday for a living. I will be looking forward to it!

 

If the quality of the team drives up revenue, then why do teams like the 1997 Champion Marlins have to blow themselves up? Why did last year's Marlins have to let guys like Pudge and Lee go? Why do teams like Oakland, which have been very good for many years, have to keep their payrolls so low?

I think you know a team's revenue depends on a lot of other factors, like tv revenue.

According to Nielson, Houston is the 11th largest tv market.
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html

According to ESPN, Houston had the 14th largest payroll last year.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0721/1583823.html


I haven't seen much proof to suggest that McLane has a low payroll relative to the revenue he receives.

 

Its not really up to us, ask Drayton to open the books so we can see exactly how much he has lost. Last time I heard he said he had lost well over $120 million since he owned the team, and that was just last season when he said it.

If he is losing that much, then why own the team? Sell to someone who won't b**** about losing money.

Its a tired old song to hear billionaire owners crying about how they are losing money when they get publicly funded stadiums. There is no way on God's green earth that you can tell me that he has lost money while he has owned the team. With the championship runs of the late 90's and early this decade, fans have been going out to the games. Attendance has been consistently over 2.2 million since around 1997, everything at the ballpark costs an arm and a leg, theres money coming in and lining his pocket.

Furthermore, I refuse to believe he has lost money because after the Oilers refused to play that preseason game due to "bad conditions" of the field, was it not one Drayton McLane who came out and called the Astrodome a "world-class" facility and was proud to have his team play there. And no sooner than a couple of months down the road (as soon as the Oilers left) he started talking about the Dome as being run down, and not economically viable and would be "forced" to sell the team because he was just losing so much money.

 

I'm just wondering what it is that would hinder the 'Stros from making a competitve offer to Beltran. Not a Randy Johnson "what the hell he played half a season for us why not offer an extension" but a real Bagwellesque offer.

Who's making all the money on this team??

Biggio, Clemens, Dotel, Kent, Weathers, Wagner, Hidalgo... all that salary space is available.

Yes some of the younger guys will get raises and that will eat into the space vacated by the free agent departures. Oswalt and Miller are available for raises from their 3.5mill but with their piss poor performances this season how much leverage do they have?

Beltran is young and a great offensive and defensive player, a stolen base threat.... if he's not worth a Bagwell type deal then who is?

Someone with more salary knowledge than me please give me a viable reason why we can't bring Beltran back. If we lose all of the aforementioned players and Beltran I'm going to be sick.

 

Are you serious? The Marlins and A's? If the Marlins made a consistant effort year after year to compete they might have expanded their payroll. But they didn't, they bought a World Series in 1997 and then aptly and abruptly dismantled the team. The Athletics do what they do because they simply don't have enough money. There's a different mode of thinking in Oakland and it's all based building a baseball team while not spending too much.

Of course there are other streams of revenue but lets not turn simple math into rocket science here, so to speak. The bottom line is that if you field a team that gets the fans and city excited, the revenues will be up. These other sources of income you speak of could all be rooted back to that one simple thing.

Question. Would you say, in your best estimation, that the Astros revenues are up this season, when compared to say, 2000-2003?

If yes, then why?

 

With Beltran its not just about the money. He wants to win now, and he and his agent, Scott Boras will be selling themselves to the highest bidder (Boston or New York). Those teams are consistenly in the running to go to the post-season. Unless the Astros overwhelm Beltran and more importantly Boras, he will not remain an Astro.

 

9 of the last 10 years the astros have been in the running for the playoffs. I think it comes down to a bidding war between New York and Boston.

 

Am I in the minority here or does anyone else feel like going to the Yankees just to win (like everyone and there dog does) is just sickening! Yeah they can pay you and yeah they're in contention but it's just disgusting they acquire every big name player that comes along they're all just guns for hire, the team just doesn't seem to have any soul.

I can never understand a young player wanting to go to a team like the yankees. Why not go to a team on the verge and help them get over the hump. How can you feel like a competitive athlete playing on a team with a payroll that's nearly twice as much as every other team in the league?

Maybe it's just the Houston in me coming out always watching the unappreciated underdog scratching and clawing.

I just want Beltran to stay so bad and form a new killer B combo with Berkman and suceed where the predeccesors could not.

 

Fair enough but common it would definitely have been easier for him to just say "I don't to discuss that right now. I will address it after the season is over".

The point is the he went out of his way to endorse Houston. the truth is that he does not have to say what he said or be nice to us with his words.

Oh btw, the rumoured amount the Yankees are willing to offer Beltran is 15-16 million USD over 7 years. That is not really unreachable for us. In fact in comparism, a 12-14 million USD from the Stros front office will be comprable to that of the Yankees when you factor state tax and cost of living.

But the Yankees have at least four advantages over us including; rich histroy and winning ability, exposure & prestige, better fans & fans involvement and potential for extra money making avenues/endorsments.

In descending order, these are the favorites to land Beltran in the fall/winter:

1. Yankees

2. Astros (or any team he finishes this season with)

3. Redsox

4. Dodgers

 

I want to furthermore clarify myself concerning Oakland. Oakland has stayed competitive at a low cost because of their "rich" farm system. If the A's didn't have as good a farm system as they do they would be terrible. Why? Because of that quality minor league system Oakland has allowed themselves the slack to not resign the likes of some of their best players in Miggy and Giambi, whom they didn't want to afford (or couldn't). If Chavez didn't give them the a reduced rate they would have likely opted to go with the stud third baseman they sent to Kansas City in the Beltran trade. It's very plausible to believe that if they would have paid the money to keep some of their best players they would have been a better team with a larger fan base and increased fan excitement and expectation and thus resulting in increased revenues.

 

BIGBOYMUMU"S PREDICTION:

Drayton will not offer Beltran a contract until after the season. Forget about a real offer right now! If you watch the Astros and you know anything about the owner you will know that signing Beltran at this stage of the year really does not benefit him. Drayton understands how to spend just enough money to sell season tickets, just enough to keep the critics guessing, and just enough to make it look like we are competitive. Beltran will not be offered a real deal because that is done in the offseason. Right when he determines what the market is for players or better yet, right when he determines who he could get for a discount. Right when it is time to start the new marketing campaign. Right in time... well, when he is about to raise the ticket prices. Just refer back to this thread this summer if you don't believe me...

Question for you Drayton supporters? I can't remember ever signing a free agent without getting rid of a major player from the prior year. Actually, I can't remember ever acquiring a major free agent without getting a substantial discount to the market. Can you?

Drayton could sell you anything if you let him. Just don't look directly at him or you will turn ...

 

I'm not sure you responded to my point about Florida and Oakland. These are teams that have been great recently. Why don't they have the revenue to have huge payrolls? Why don't two World Series victories make Floridas revenues skyrocket? Why doesn't the A's competitiveness year after year bring in the big bucks? Because they are in smaller markets, just like in Houston.

You say that Oakland doesn't have any money so they can't expand the payroll. But according to your theory they should have money, since you say winning brings in money. You imply the Marlins don't make a consistent effort. Well, the reason is they don't have the revenue! The fact is, both had smaller payrolls last year than Houston because they are in smaller markets.

Yes, I think Houston's revenue is up this year. However, they are still a mid- market team, nowhere close to the big guys. You don't change the dynamics of your market simply by increasing "excitement."

 

Go through every team and try that approach.