Baseball’s spring training kicks off Thursday, but some team owners are still hung up on this winter’s eye-popping spending spree – especially after the Dodgers opened their wallet wide and the Mets handed Juan Soto the biggest contract ever.
Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is the latest to sound off about money in baseball. In a revealing chat with USA Today, he claimed his team barely breaks even each year (though he didn’t show any proof).
But here’s the real head-scratcher from Attanasio: “Is my job to win a World Series, or is my job to provide a summer of entertainment and passion and a way for families to come together?”
Why not both?
Let’s be real – baseball is entertainment. That’s something the number-crunchers who obsess over efficiency sometimes forget. But when an owner starts suggesting that winning isn’t really their job? That’s when fans should worry.
It reminds me of an old story about former MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth. He once told team owners to imagine two buttons – push the red one to win the World Series but lose $10 million, or push the black one to finish middle-of-the-pack but make $4 million. He was frustrated that most would choose winning over profits.
Here’s the problem with Attanasio’s thinking: The Chicago White Sox were technically “entertainment” last year while having their worst season ever. They showed up and played the games, sure. But that’s a pretty low bar.
The Brewers have actually been pretty good under Attanasio, making the playoffs six times in seven years. But they haven’t made it past the first round since 2018.
And now fans are watching their stars leave town. Ace pitcher Corbin Burnes? Traded. Shortstop Willy Adames? Gone in free agency. Even their manager and top executive left for bigger markets.
Meanwhile, the Brewers haven’t ranked higher than 19th in payroll since 2019.
Attanasio probably didn’t mean to sound so philosophical about whether winning matters. But when you’re not willing to spend more to help your successful team get over the hump and win its first-ever World Series? That says something about your real priorities.
