"there’s still the task of convincing ownership to pay more than they would like."
I think ownership needs to convince me as a long-time fan they care about actual team performance. The idea that our ownership has to be convinced to spend some money to improve the team I think says volumes about how they view importance of on-field product. Owners maximizing ROI - why do I need to invest in a team if the consumer base is willing to spend money for the talent on the field now? All they need to do is give a quote to the media every few months that says "yes, we pay attention to the product on the field and we care about W/L". Until there is a noticeable drop in TV viewership and sales I strongly doubt their thought of need to invest in the team via Free Agency and let the team continue to operate with minor league development.
"there’s still the task of convincing ownership to pay more than they would like."
I think ownership needs to convince me as a long-time fan they care about actual team performance. The idea that our ownership has to be convinced to spend some money to improve the team I think says volumes about how they view importance of on-field product. Owners maximizing ROI - why do I need to invest in a team if the consumer base is willing to spend money for the talent on the field now? All they need to do is give a quote to the media every few months that says "yes, we pay attention to the product on the field and we care about W/L". Until there is a noticeable drop in TV viewership and sales I strongly doubt their thought of need to invest in the team via Free Agency and let the team continue to operate with minor league development.