They’ll probably sell less season tickets, less tickets in general, the parking revenue from that, and a lot of concessions. People will still show up, maybe in fewer numbers. And they’re going to buy cheaper seats, eat/drink less, etc. This should affect teams throughout baseball.

Then again, maybe people will go to more games because it’s cheaper than taking the family on a vacation. Who knows? But I have a hard time believing teams won’t be taking some kind of hit.

And, no, another oft-injured pitcher isn’t the type of guy the Rangers need to be considering signing unless it’s truly a bargain of a deal. In fact, I’m tired of those types of guys around here and would like to see them go with players who’ve shown they can stay healthy. Same goes for Bradley. As much as I like him, I can’t really see the point in spend significant money on a guy you can’t count on. It’s hard to say this but I’m glad he’ll be gone and I lament the fact they picked up Blalock’s option.

and you could add the baseball has more uncertainty in player development and contract guarantees than other sports, making baseball owners perhaps a bit more nervous. Hicks’ own stupidity led to him getting bit a few times in the past, which only increases his uncertainty and caution in a time like this.

The Rangers are probably going to lose money next season no matter what they do. The team has been losing for a long while, and even a very strong start would not increase ticket sales much. The fans will need some fairly sustained success to become believers to the point of spending money on tickets. And if I’m Daniels, I might have a hard time selling Hicks on the wisdom of spending big on players that will just guarantee another 3rd place finish.

It’s not that important to spend big money right now. Next winter I’d be more impatient if there is a player that can push a talented young core forward into contention.

but I might actually disagree with this statement as well:

I think the big FAs will sign for packages similar to the past, but those middling guys are going to take a huge hit IMO.

I think we have already seen the maximum bid that will go to any FA this offseason in the Yankees offer to Sabathia. I don’t think Teixeira and Burnett and Lowe and some of these other guys will get the (relatively) big offers they envisioned because we just aren’t hearing about bidding wars right now. All we are hearing about are potential landing spots for the big names, and that pool of teams is limited (Red Sox, Yanks, Angels…). It seems every move is contingent on another move to the point that we are stuck in some sort of stasis, with the have nots sitting around hoping that there are far more Lohse’s than Silva’s this year.

then all of our leverage is gone, and we are no better than the Marlins.

you got that right.

I really hope we don’t lose Laird.

So we can expect them to make up for not wanting to spend money by them wanting to spend extra money? Yes they’ve been solid in their amateur spending, moreso than on their major league roster, but this sort of marginal trade-off seems a little iffy. Their presumed success internationally over the past few years hasn’t been a triumph of spending but of Preller & co trying to outwork everyone. Even BA has said as much. They haven’t once spent the kind of money on a guy that this pick would probably cost.

not both at the same time.

tends to be a dumbass quite often

a lot depends on the scouting reports with these guys. Hagadone is a guy who we just haven’t seen much of at the professional level, and Scouts hadn’t seen much of him before the draft, so he is relatively unknown. The fact that he is coming off a serious injury makes him all the more unknown. But if the Rangers already have a good feel for what he can do, then he is exactly the sort of player you should target in a trade. If he explodes onto the scene next year flies through the farm system as some people expect he will, then he will be much harder to pry away. Bard is another huge question mark. He has easy high 90’s velocity and a very solid second pitch. He is the sort of strikeout/groundout bullpen arm that every team covets. Hagadone and Bard would be an intriguing package, in my opinion.

Why would you expect to get a number 1 or 2 minor league pitching prospect from a not-far-removed World Series winner in return? I understand if you set the bar high, but you have to realize that until Salt shows something in the big leagues, he isn’t going to be worth that.

sandwiches are overrated? of the many Red Sox pitching prospects this site has collectively obsessed over for the past few months, Buchholz, Bowden, Masterson and Hagadone were all either sandwich or second round picks, as I recall. The Rangers seemingly hit on all three of their sandwich picks in ’07. I see no reason for them to be considered “overrated.”

you purposely made the 2nd highest bid and you know it. (sarcasm here)

Second place in a contest with several bidders isn’t that bad.

There is a dark horse out there. FLA perhaps, mebbe TB…I don’t know, but for all the hand-wringing and angst over this deal with Boston, I really see someone jumping up outta the bushes.

Totally unexpected is JD’s MO.

Would you take a deal with Lars Anderson as the centerpiece? Say Lars, Bard, and Almanzar? Still not enough? This could give us more flexibility in trading for pitching.