{"id":30577,"date":"2025-02-04T03:15:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T03:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=30577"},"modified":"2025-02-04T03:15:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T03:15:36","slug":"mlb-news-rays-signing-of-ha-seong-kim-is-one-more-example-of-mlbs-broken-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=30577","title":{"rendered":"MLB NEWS: Rays’ signing of Ha-Seong Kim is one more example of MLB\u2019s broken system"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Believe<\/p>\n

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ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 Welcome to baseball\u2019s problem in a nutshell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Was enjoying a quiet Sunday morning reading the Tampa Bay Times when I came across this phrase in a Marc Topkin analysis of Ha-Seong Kim\u2019s two-year, $29 million deal with the Rays:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 the second largest the Rays ever have given a free-agent position player, behind Greg Vaughn\u2019s $34 million, four-year contract in December 1999 \u2026 \u201d<\/p>\n

First thought, that can\u2019t be true.<\/p>\n

(But of course it was true. Never doubt Topkin.)<\/p>\n

Second thought, that can\u2019t be healthy.<\/p>\n

Sure, we all whine about the Rays having a low payroll. And fans everywhere bemoan how the biggest stars always seem to land in the biggest markets. But revenue disparity is becoming so commonplace \u2014 and accepted \u2014 it\u2019s threatening to ruin the integrity of the game.<\/p>\n

In the franchise\u2019s 27-year history, the Rays have signed just one player \u2014 Wander Franco \u2014 to a contract with a total value of $125 million or more. The Dodgers have signed seven of those deals just in the last four years.<\/p>\n

In essence, the Dodgers have attempted to corner the market on hope.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not an insult or an accusation, by the way. The Los Angeles front office has done exactly what a responsible big-market team should do. They\u2019ve spent money, rather strategically, to build the best roster in the majors.<\/p>\n

And whether the Dodgers win the World Series is not the issue. We\u2019ve been reminded, time and again, that baseball\u2019s postseason can be a crapshoot. The real concern is that we\u2019re getting to a point where too many teams begin every season without much hope of reaching the playoffs.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not just unfortunate, it\u2019s potentially calamitous.<\/p>\n

When hope is squashed before the first pitch is thrown, you basically have a 162-game schedule of exhibitions. You\u2019re asking fans to commit their devotion, their time and their wallets to a team that has no prayer of competing for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Whether you view it as fortunate or not, the Rays inadvertently have contributed to the status quo by succeeding despite their revenue issues. The Rays have been in the bottom third of MLB payroll in each of the last 17 years and have reached the postseason nine times for a success rate of 53%. Every other team in the bottom third has a success rate of 18%.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay\u2019s onfield success has allowed baseball officials to point at the Rays and say, \u201cSee, it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s ignoring the overwhelming evidence that it\u2019s easier to reach the postseason with a bigger payroll.<\/p>\n

Now, of course, you could place the blame at the ledger of owners who do not overspend on salaries. That certainly plays a role.<\/p>\n

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