Page 18 - Aruba Today

A18

SPORTSTuesday 22 March 2016

MLB increases prospect spending, overall percentage steady

RONALD BLUM revenues which they never
receive.”
AP Baseball Writer MLB said net revenue rose
from $7.16 billion in 2013 to
Major league teams steep- $7.79 billion in 2014 to $8.15
billion last year.
ly increased the money Dollars devoted to big
leaguers climbed from
spent on young players last $3.59 billion in 2013 to $3.87
billion in 2014 to $4.15 mil-
year, when several Cuban lion last year; the amount
on amateurs and minor
prospects got big-money leaguers was $420 million
annually in 2013 and ‘14,
deals. Still, the overall per- then jumped to $540 million
last year, when several Cu-
centage of revenue de- ban defectors and young
Dominicans received large
voted to players has re- signing bonuses.
Boston agreed to pay
mained relatively stable for $31.5 million alone to Yoan
Moncada, a 19-year-old
a decade. Cuban second baseman.
Three other Cuban pros-
Financial data released pects agreed to bonuses
of $8 million or more: Arizo-
by Major League Baseball na pitcher Yoan Lopez, Los
Angeles Angels shortstop
to The Associated Press Roberto Baldoquin and Los
Angeles Dodgers pitcher
showed the big leaguers’ Pablo Fernandez.
The Major League Baseball
share of net revenue was Players Association has ac-
cess to MLB’s figures, and
between 48.5 percent and union head Tony Clark de-
scribed the percentage
51.7 percent each year devoted to players as “fair-
ly constant.”
since 2006. “Two or three percent-
age points one way or the
Dollars spent on amateur other is always room for im-
provement,” he said of the
players and minor leagu- fluctuations.
Boras did not want to com-
ers rose by 29 percent last ment on MLB’s figures, but
did say he thought gross
year — four times the in- revenue should be used
to determine increases in
crease in big league com- teams’ signing bonus pools
for amateur players. The
pensation. Counting sign- draft figures to be a key
discussion matter in talks
ing bonuses for amateurs for a collective bargain-
ing agreement to succeed
and minor league salaries, the labor deal that expires
Dec. 1. Under the 2012-16
revenue devoted to play- In this Monday, Feb. 23, 2015 file photo, the shadow of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is pro- agreement, the pools in-
ers has ranged from 53.7 jected on an MLB logo backdrop in Phoenix. Major league teams steeply increased the money crease annually at the rate
percent in 2012 to 57.5 per- spent on young players in 2015, but the overall percentage of revenue devoted to players has of the rise in total industry
revenue — defined as MLB
cent last year. remained relatively stable for a decade. did in these figures.
“I trust in negotiations of
“The data shows that the Associated Press the draft itself, and this is
a union matter, that at-
percentage of our rev- ly consistent,” said Dan free market and clubs can uptick in spending on the tention is paid to outside
enue that has been paid Halem, MLB’s chief legal spend however much they amateur side, and on the sources and expenses af-
to players has been fair- officer. “Obviously, it’s a choose. We’ve seen an major league side it fluctu- fecting the amount of
money that teams can
ates slightly up and down spend on drafted players
pursuant to a calculation
NFL looking at game in but it has stayed within a of net versus gross reve-
range.” nues,” Boras said. q
Scott Boras, the most

China as early as 2018 prominent player agent,
said at the general man-
agers’ meetings in Novem-

ber that the players’ share

BARRY WILNER participating in annual On Nov. 21, Oakland will of revenue had dropped

AP Pro Football Writer regular-season series in host Houston at Azteca to 43 percent. Boras is in-

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — London. For one, head- Stadium in Mexico City, cluding gross revenue

The NFL could be headed ing to China after playing the first NFL game there from Major League Base-

to China in a couple of a Sunday game and then since 2005, when Arizona ball Advanced Media,

years. For a regular-season suiting up again the fol- beat San Francisco 31-14 which formed in 2000, and

game, no less. lowing Sunday could be before 103,467 fans. the MLB Network, which

The league is looking into problematic considering The NFL had planned to launched in 2009 and is
playing a game in China the hefty time difference play a preseason game two-thirds owned by MLB.

as early as the 2018 sea- and travel involved. in China once before, in The expenses of running

son. A detailed analysis of This year, the NFL will stage 2007 in Beijing, but it was those companies are de-

how much interest there three games in London canceled. ducted to determine their

would be in such a game and return to Mexico for A trip to China would be net revenue. During his final

in the world’s most popu- a regular-season game in the longest for the NFL, season as baseball com-

lous country is under way, November. The London which has staged exhi- missioner, Bud Selig said

and is being discussed matches will feature Wash- bition games in Japan revenue would exceed $9

this week at the owners’ ington against Cincinnati and Australia. Preseason billion in 2014, but that was
meetings. But few details, and Indianapolis facing games were played in To- the gross figure.

including which Chinese Jacksonville at Wembley kyo in 1976, 1989-96, 1998, “We believe that using net

city the league will target, Stadium, the usual venue 2000, 2003 and 2005. One income for MLBAM and

have been settled. for NFL games, with the match was played in Osa- the network is appropriate

Quietly, several teams Bengals and Jaguars as ka in 2002. One game was for assessing the percent-

have expressed a willing- hosts. The Giants face the played in 1999 in Sydney. age of revenue that own-

ness to be involved in a Rams at Twickenham Sta- Germany also has ex- ers pay to players,” Halem

game in China, though dium, a rugby ground be- pressed interest in host- said. “Owners only can

the logistics would be ing used for the first time, ing an NFL regular-season spend the net profits of
those businesses, not gross
more challenging than with the Rams as host. game.q