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ESPN Daily

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems: Why MLB Spending is on the Rise, and What it Means

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.63.9K Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Just a few years ago in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Baseball painted a picture of a dire financial situation across the league…but less than three years later, the finances – and the contracts dished out this offseason – paints the picture of a very healthy MLB economy: Aaron Judge reached a deal to stay in pinstripes for 9 years, $360 million. Trea Turner went back to the East Coast for an 11-year, $300 million agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies. Rafael Devers became the highest paid player in Red Sox history with his new extension…and even Carlos Correa himself signed over $500 million worth of contracts, before landing with the Twins. But not everyone is happy about the billions of dollars on the move this offseason. Jeff Passan returns to talk about baseball’s evolving economy, and the resentment it’s fueling…not among fans, but among the owners themselves. To help ensure you didn't miss any of our best stories from the past year, we've collected our favorite episodes of 2022 into one playlist. We think you’ll love every episode on there, so check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Jeff has in it. You do a lot of things for us. You sing, you chug unholy amounts of diet

0:07.2

mountain dew. What is the song that comes to mind when you think of everything? All of

0:12.8

the billions of dollars you've seen move around major league baseball over this off season.

0:18.4

The first one that came to mind was Mo money, Mo problems by Biggie Smalls because some

0:26.5

of these contracts Pablo are not going to age well. They're the sorts of things that can

0:32.6

be anchors on teams, especially teams that may be pushing their budgetary constraints

0:39.6

by giving out these sorts of dollars. I really ended up landing on what's actually one

0:47.8

of my favorite songs of all time. If you have not done the Pink Floyd dark side of the

0:53.4

moon, Wizard of Oz combo, I highly recommend it. Yeah. Like legitimate good time. It's

1:00.1

a real thing. Absolutely. This is a separate podcast that we have to do on another company,

1:06.3

but I fully cosine everything you say. But money by Pink Floyd when we get to the chorus

1:14.9

and it goes. Like a bunch of guys can afford a lear jet now. That's the kind of money

1:33.8

that's being thrown around in baseball. Aaron judge remaining in pinstripes nine years

1:39.1

three hundred and sixty million. Trade turner just signed eleven years three hundred million,

1:46.1

full no trade clause. The Red Sox and Debra's came to our contract extension agreement today

1:47.9

that will make him the highest pay player in franchise history. It is a record off season

1:54.4

financially. Dan's V. Swanson is in agreement of a seven year one hundred seventy seven

2:00.1

million dollar deal. Edwin Diaz, Ruben Argan, the best closer in baseball, some of the

2:05.1

best to five years one hundred and two million dollars. I was talking with somebody yesterday

2:10.6

and he said, Hey, remember when Major League Baseball during COVID said that things are horrendous

2:17.2

financially. Yes. Well, here we are less than three years later and the financial state

2:24.5

of Major League Baseball, least in terms of the contracts that are being given out is

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