Kata DFA'd

by jshcmp on Jun 5, 2007 4:31 PM CDT

Well this should make everyone happy. Per the Hardline just now. They are talking about Kata's wife. They interviewed her during spring training and she said that Matt had no back up plan to being a pro baseball player. Doesn't he know that he is Matt Kata? Doesn't his first hand knowledge of his talent level make a back up profession necessary?

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He's not hurting.....

Dude's been pulling in between $100 and $300k a year for the last 4 years. Not including per diem and other perks.

If he's hurting it's because he's bad with money.

That's just MLB money too.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 4:35 PM CDT reply actions

money

after reading the sporting news thing todd jones wrote about mlb salaries, etc i dont think league minimum goes very far.
having to pay $50 a game in clubhouse dues can add up fast.

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 5, 2007 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions

$150 a day per diem.....

that more than covers the $50 clubhouse dues.

Roughly $13-14k in per diem arcoss a season.

At least I thought I heard it was $150 a day for per diem. Haven't confirmed that.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions

per diem

is only on road trips, he wrote that it was $80 i believe, he said it basically pays clubhouse dues and thats it

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 5, 2007 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Former MLB player on sports radio in OKC

said there is no set amount that it's up to each player to pay what they want.

by OKC Ranger Fan on Jun 5, 2007 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions

higher tax brackets

mean more taxes paid. so if he had made 130,000 this season, that means he probably pays about 60,000 in taxes. that leaves that at 70,000. what do sports agents take out of that? 10-15%? add in that club house fee and union fees and he's not really THAT much better off than an average person. i remember rod barajas in 2004 coming to sherman texas. he showed up driving an old beat up POS buick.

anybody have any idea what MLB union fees are?

Al Gore 2008 http://www.myspace.com/igotsculture

by gossamer on Jun 5, 2007 5:49 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm really at a loss here.....

He worked for HALF the year if you assume Jan-June and clears more than 60k in your example. That is "THAT much better" than an average person.

Let me give you hint that's probably TWICE what the average person clears. Now is he rich? Of course not, but for four years the guy has been in the top 2% of earners in this country. As I said before....he's not hurting.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions

just

pointing out that a league minimum guy isn't that much better off than an average person. no backup plan, i'm assuming of course that he is unemployed for the rest of the season and doesn't get picked up.

after his fees agent and union fees and other costs that we don't know he probably would be at about 35,000 for the year. maybe a little more.

i bet he gets minor league work next season or something.

he's not hurting but he sure isn't well off.

Al Gore 2008 http://www.myspace.com/igotsculture

by gossamer on Jun 5, 2007 6:08 PM CDT up reply actions

No

If his gross is $130K, his net is probably around $90-100K, depending on his deductions.

And agents take 5%, not 10-15%.

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 5, 2007 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Agree....

Also, do you even need an agent to sign a league minimum contract?

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 6:18 PM CDT up reply actions

league minimum

Isn't the major league minimum $380,000 this year? Doesn't go far? Give me a break. Even for just 1/3 of the season that's about $130,000. If he can't make that work until something comes up I'm not going to feel sorry for him.

by t ball on Jun 5, 2007 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions

dont get me wrong

ballplayers get paid a lot.
but when you consider the clubhouse fee's...state and city taxes for every stadium they play in, and agent fee's it takes a big chunk.

a guy banking wont notice it, but these guys making league minimum certainly would

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 5, 2007 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions

taxes......

we all pay taxes so that's moot. In fact he's doing much better this year because he hasn't had to pay state taxes for his home games....oh and they've played in Seattle and Florida already which also don't have state taxes. He's pulled in $130+ for 1/3 of a year. He's doing just fine.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Is that how it works?

You have to pay state taxes on the away games to each state?

Thats' almost 20 different tax returns. What a pain in the ass...

I find your douchey look offputting.

by Brian Thomas on Jun 5, 2007 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep....

I think some states have minimum dollar amounts that you have to earn but I'm sure 3 game checks probably is enough.

I assume he has to pay Canada something as well. Any of you Ex-pats know how that works.

Oh...and a portion of the per diem is tax free. Each city has an allowed amount by the federal govt. Usually between $25-50.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Let

him start paying Self-Employment Taxes and then he can complain to me. An extra 15.3%. The majority of our taxes every year are just SET.

by fsujon on Jun 5, 2007 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions

eww

i didn't realize self employment had higher taxes than non self employment, that's got to stink.
I guess that why the small business owner i worked for in college always said he was broke.

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 5, 2007 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions

We

pay the regular federal tax brackets like everyone else PLUS an extra 15.3% on your adjusted gross business income (after deductions) SET was barely shy of 2/3 of our total tax bill for 2006.

by fsujon on Jun 5, 2007 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

You don't

If you are self-employed, you pay 15.3% in SET.

If you aren't self-employed, you pay 7.65% and your employer pays 7.65%.

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 5, 2007 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks

Adam for explaining it nice and easy. But we pay the 15.3 plus what everyone else would typically pay on top of the 15.3.

Its dreadful!!

by fsujon on Jun 5, 2007 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, but...

If you employed, your employer would pay the 7.65%, so it still comes out the same.

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 5, 2007 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions

No, you don't

you pay 15.3% in SET, period. You don't pay 15.3 on top of 15.3. I'm self employed, too, you pay both halves, which TOTALS 15.3%. I hope you use turbotax or an accountant to do your taxes.

by t ball on Jun 5, 2007 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions

I think he means.....

you pay the 15.3 on top of the normal taxes that everyone else pays.

It's really just an additional 7ish pct. You could make the argument that salary's would be higher if employers didn't have to pay their portion so employees are paying it anyway.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I am soooooo in favor

of scrapping the current tax code completely and starting over.

by t ball on Jun 6, 2007 12:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Yes!!!

by mattrpav on Jun 5, 2007 4:35 PM CDT reply actions

Where's BGL?

He needs to weigh in on the take for league minimum guys.

by bdavison94 on Jun 5, 2007 6:00 PM CDT reply actions

Jose Cortez

is working as a Dock worker in Oregon for 14 dollars an hour trying to become a state trooper...

Arias is the third cousin of David Ortiz? Sucks for Big Papi...

by miles on Jun 5, 2007 9:07 PM CDT reply actions

according to baseball reference:

he earned

2004 Arizona Diamondbacks $315,000
2005 Arizona Diamondbacks $330,000
2006 (involved in 40 games w/ ARI/PHI)
2007 (involved in 31 games for TEX + whereever else he catches on

PLUS his signing bonus (granted, it was small $$ -- he was a 9th rd signee)

this guy makes more money than how many people in america?

(...and that above isnt counting whatever his minor leauge salary has been since he signed his professional contract + any money for appearences, etc)

by knockoutking24 on Jun 5, 2007 10:46 PM CDT reply actions

Taxes

yeah, but according to a couple of guys in the above posts, he paid about 95% of that in taxes.

by t ball on Jun 5, 2007 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions

LOL

"The boxing scenes in 'Million Dollar Baby' were so realistic, I initially thought it was a documentary." -Brian Thomas

by thedirkatron on Jun 6, 2007 2:11 AM CDT up reply actions

yeah

because i said they pay 90% of their salary in taxes.

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 6, 2007 6:48 AM CDT up reply actions

guaranteed contracts

just wondering...

...if nobody claims Kata off waivers, isn't he guaranteed to make his full yearly salary from the Rangers?

I thought that the MLBPA had guaranteed contracts and even if you were cut in the middle of the season that you got paid your full yearly salary?

by tricer on Jun 6, 2007 3:07 AM CDT reply actions

No, I don't think that's the case

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 6, 2007 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions

Are you saying...

...that a player can be DFA'd in midseason and the club is not on the hook for the remainder of the contract?

If that was the case, wouldn't we have done this with Chan Ho back in the day?

by tricer on Jun 6, 2007 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions

guranteed contracts

im a little confused about it as well.
I guess that the player would have to clear waivers (which chp would have) then the player would have to refuse an assignment to the minors, which would then mean they were opting for free agency and the contract was voided.

thats my understanding at least

"Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!" "If you don't throw strikes first, you're last."

by rentz on Jun 6, 2007 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions