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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Dollars and Sense
Will Pat Burrell be back? Only if the price is right.

Let's get back to Pat Burrell for a second. I get the sense the Phillies want Jamie Moyer and Scott Eyre back. Ruben Amaro Jr. already has said pitching is a priority, and Moyer and Eyre would be a good place to start. Burrell? I think the Phillies would like Burrell back, but only at their price. I also think they would like to get younger and more athletic at that position, which makes them less inclined to get into a bidding war with anybody. Burrell is 32. He hit .210 from July 10 through the end of the season. If a team makes a three-year offer for Burrell, I can't see the Phillies matching the years or dollars.

Plus, the Phillies already have a lot of money committed to 2009.

Consider the players already under contract next season:

  • Brett Myers made $8.5 million in 2008. He will make $12 million in 2009.
  • Chase Utley made $8.5 million. He will make $11.25 million, which includes a $250,000 signing bonus.
  • Brad Lidge made $6.35 million. He will make $11.5 million.
  • Jimmy Rollins made $8 million. He will make $8.5 million, which includes a $1 million signing bonus.
  • Adam Eaton made $8.125 million. He will make $8.5 million.
  • Geoff Jenkins made $5 million. He will make $8 million, which includes a $1.25 million buyout on a 2010 club option.
  • Pedro Feliz made $3 million. He will make $5.5 million, which includes a $500,000 buyout on a 2010 club option.
  • J.C. Romero made $3.75 million. He will make $4 million.
  • Matt Stairs will make $1 million.

Players that made $51.225 million last season are scheduled to make $70.25 million next season.

Now consider the 10 players eligible for salary arbitration: Joe Blanton ($3.7 million last season), Eric Bruntlett ($600,000), Clay Condrey ($420,000), Greg Dobbs ($440,000), Chad Durbin ($900,000), Cole Hamels ($500,000), Ryan Howard ($10 million), Ryan Madson ($1.4 million), Shane Victorino ($480,000) and Jayson Werth ($1.7 million).

Those 10 players made $20.14 million last season. They will make much more than that in 2009. How much? It's tough to say. But let's say that group makes $30 million next season, which I think is a conservative estimate. That means the Phillies already have spent more than $100 million on salaries after opening last season with a $103 million payroll.

Remember, that doesn't include potential salaries for Moyer, who made $7 million last season, or Eyre, who made $3.8 million. That doesn't include Jim Thome's payout, which is around $3 million next season. That doesn't include salaries for players like Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste, Greg Golson, Kyle Kendrick or J.A. Happ or Carlos Carrasco or whomever else might fill out the rotation and bullpen. The Phillies' payroll, once you include those potential salaries, is more than $115 million.

And that's before addressing the left field situation.

Posted by Todd Zolecki @ 4:34 PM  Permalink | 26 comments
26
Comments   
Posted 12:53 AM, 11/06/2008
easy3456
It's OK...they are world champions...they should be spending $130 million at least on payroll - that's what every other high market teams is spending! Pay it all! And sign pat or another left fielder...a good left fiedler!
Posted 08:29 PM, 11/05/2008
judas_priest
On the arbitration elgible players: The combined salries for next season will almost certainly break $40,000,000. Hamels and Howard are quite likely to go up $5,000,000 each. Even if the Phils payroll is to be capoped at $130,000,000 it's hard to see how they can afford to-end free agent. I think the trade route is the way to go - let's say Peavy who is under contract a several more years. We'd probably have to give a lot, say Marson, Donald and Happ - and probably another pitcher (I really don't want to see us let go of Marson, but for a pitcher like Peavy . . .)
Posted 07:23 PM, 11/05/2008
FLigglesfan
at an average of $100.00 a playoff ticket,7 sellouts at 45,000 fans each, thats roughly an extra 32,000,000. in the till. that doesn't include concessions and merchandise. not a bad return for a month. i think they can afford the payroll
Posted 07:12 PM, 11/05/2008
93phils
Since Pat Burrell signed his big contract, has there been a position player who has made MORE money than him and not make the all-star game? I wonder...
Posted 06:05 PM, 11/05/2008
androoo
Jeff- MLB has a profit sharing agreement with all the teams similar to what the NFL has. Meaning that regardless of whether someone purchases Phillies merchandise or Yankees merchandise, the profits are split evenly amongst all the MLB teams. The only profit they make exclusively to the Phillies are merchandise sold at Citizens Bank Park and and of course ticket sales, food, beer, etc... at the park.
Posted 05:28 PM, 11/05/2008
glennboe
The Phillies may an additional 30 million dollars in ticket revenue alone by making the World Series. This does not include all of the other additionals, including concessions, parking, memorabilia, clothing, and increased team value. They can increase ticket prices next year, and still get record attendance.
Posted 05:26 PM, 11/05/2008
RollinsWasRight
Structrebc - While the added concessions and parking and merchandise will boost their revenues, it is difficult to determine the added revenues from extra tickets. The players' post-season bonuses are based on minimum # of home games, and they get the overwhelming majority of ticket sales from the minimum # of home games played. Since the Phillies only played 1 home game over the minimum, the organization gets 1 game's full gate...but only a small percentage of the other 6 gates. As far as TV, I do not know if the teams involved see any of that per se...I would think that all the TV revenue goes straight to MLB, and what doesn't get spent on marketing gets divied up with the rest of the revenue sharing pool.
Posted 05:11 PM, 11/05/2008
Structrebc
Hey Zolecki all this analysis is helpful. More helpful (for my curiosity) would be how much money the Phillies made on this playoff run in tickets, merchandise, tv (if there's more tv revenue), and any other revenue they earned as a result of the playoffs. (Parking, concessions). I mean, I'm guessing it's at least the 30Mill that we can expect their payroll to increase by. (just the ticket sales of 7 home playoff games is ~350,000 * ~$50 (not sure the actual average price per ticket, but I assume around 50) = $17.5Million.
Posted 05:08 PM, 11/05/2008
PortCity
I also thought the Phillies were done with paying Thome after 2008? Thome has been very productive with the White Sox. I am wondering why Gillick did not get some sort of performance clauses in the deal to reduce their $$ exposure.
Posted 05:05 PM, 11/05/2008
nickj
Wright has a cannon...if he could hit in the clutch, the Mets would have made the playoffs
Posted 05:03 PM, 11/05/2008
broad
phils really need increase their payroll if we're gonna win agian next year. 1 more A list pitcher to go with hamel and a decent left fielder. i really dont see how phils can't increase payroll. our attendnce is pretty high and philly is a pretty big market.
Posted 04:41 PM, 11/05/2008
RollinsWasRight
Congrats to Jimmy and Shane. What a joke that David Wright won...again. I know he is athletic as anything, and makes some truly spectacular plays, but his propensity to butcher routine plays should could against him, no? Ryan Zimmerman is a vastly superior defensive 3B. It also bugs me that OFs are held to their primary position. 3 OF Gold Gloves, all 3 to CFs. That just seems wrong. I know if they gave them out by primary position, Shane probably wouldn't have won (Carlos Beltran is REALLY good in CF), but still... just doesn't seem right. You either are the best at YOUR position, or you aren't.
Posted 04:32 PM, 11/05/2008
RollinsWasRight
David Montgomery said during a TV broadcast that he COULD see next year's payroll approaching $130M... if it does, they still have a little money to play with... I would hope that winning the World Series would be the best of all worlds in terms of next year's payroll. They should see a 3rd straight season of increased attendance (likely with more costly ticket and parking prices), plus significantly increased merchandise sales, plus how crazy will Spring Training be this year? I am not sure how much extra revenue that amounts to, but still... they should have money to work with. Not Manny money, per se, or CC money, but they don't need either of those guys.
Posted 04:25 PM, 11/05/2008
RollinsWasRight
I thought they were done paying Thome after 2008?
Posted 04:16 PM, 11/05/2008
jimmymack
Norma: good for you, congrats. Call the ticket office and ask them nicely for what section you would like. Otherwise, they will assign. Get the name of the person and then call back every week...LOL. I've moved my Sunday plan tickets every year, they are pretty nice people in the ticket office, ya just gotta persevere. Good luck.
Posted 04:14 PM, 11/05/2008
Norma
Gold Glove....Two out of three ain't bad! Congrats J.Roll and Shane! And glad to know the ESPN guys thought Chase should have gotten the 2nd base award! His #'s proved he was the best defensive 2nd baseman in all of baseball. I thought that maybe errors counted in the decision, but Wright made more. Chase was robbed!!!
Posted 04:12 PM, 11/05/2008
timm2
Rollins and Shane got gold gloves. congrats to both.
Posted 03:59 PM, 11/05/2008
Beef69
Sunday Plan. Can't beat it. Prob alot of Sunday night ESPN games this year too.
Posted 03:55 PM, 11/05/2008
jeff gross
congradulations on your season tickets Norma. This time you'll get tickets to the parade with no problems
Posted 03:54 PM, 11/05/2008
jeff gross
The World Serries Champions usually increase their revenue from merchandise sales. If you're the Yankees or Red Sox, with a fan base not only all over teh country but all over the world, you make more then the Phillies whose fan base is basically confined to the tri state area. If you want tickets to stay the same, get all your friends to buy a phillies hat or jersey.
Posted 03:51 PM, 11/05/2008
Norma
jimmy.....I bit the bullet and put in a deposit for partial season tickets. At least I'm guaranteed 17 games! Can you give me an idea of how the seats are assigned? Do I get to pick or do they automatically assign me seats?
Posted 03:46 PM, 11/05/2008
Norma
NEWS FLASH.....National League Gold Gloves will announced on ESPN at 4:00! J.Roll, again? Chase? Shane?
Posted 03:45 PM, 11/05/2008
Beef69
Ticket prices went up last year. You can bet they will go up again this year.
Posted 03:41 PM, 11/05/2008
jimmymack
One could surmise that Ryan's, Cole's and Shane's raises in arbitration could easily eat up Pat's money. It's gonna be a wallet busting year for the front office. Small price to pay for a World Series win. But ticket prices will rise, sellouts will increase and most of us will be happily pay anyway.
Posted 03:39 PM, 11/05/2008
Norma
Zo....Totally unrelated to the topic, but....Now that we know that Flash, Taguchi, Smith and possibly Pat, won't be back next year, how/when/where do they get their World Series rings? I would hope that Pat is invited to Philly to get his. He was a huge part of the team for a long time. Also, do they get their rings on Opening Day?
Posted 03:34 PM, 11/05/2008
Norma
I can't believe we STILL owe Thome, #3 mil! But this is his final paycheck from the Phillies, right? Gee. Wonder if ticket prices go up next year? LOL!
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Andy Martino is in his first season on the Phillies beat. A former New York City public school teacher and graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he previously wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered baseball and worked with the award-winning investigative sports "I-team."
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