July 31, 2023

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I was in New York this weekend meeting with several of my Front Office Sports colleagues, and as we were debating making a trip out to Citi Field on Saturday night, the Max Scherzer trade news broke. Today, we’re looking at how the most expensive roster in MLB history is now falling apart.

Meanwhile, Commanders fans are coming out in droves with the team under new ownership, the NBA is pushing back on forced player movement, and more cities are exploring vast developments around pro stadiums.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Mets Starting To Rip Apart MLB’s Most Expensive Roster Ever [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Mets have begun the dismantling of MLB’s most expensive roster ever.

Just four months after starting the 2023 season with a $344 million roster that surpassed all prior league payroll records by more than $50 million, the Mets’ inability to post a winning record, much less compete for a playoff spot, has forced team officials to begin tearing the roster apart and regroup.

Now five games under .500, the Mets on Saturday traded pitcher Max Scherzer — who is tied for the league’s largest 2023 player salary at $43.3 million — to Texas, two days after sending $10 million closer David Robertson to Miami. Scherzer agreed to waive his no-trade clause to make the Rangers deal happen.

More Mets trades are expected in advance of MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline, but team GM Billy Eppler sought to reframe the team’s situation under owner Steve Cohen.

“It’s not a rebuild. It’s not a fire sale. It’s not a liquidation. This is just a repurposing of Steve’s investment in the club,” Eppler said.

The moves are not surprising, as Cohen in late June warned [[link removed]] such decisions could be soon forthcoming as he lamented what had become a “terrible” season. But the team’s situation still serves as a stark indicator how much MLB’s traditional norms broadly linking player spending to on-field success have been inverted [[link removed]].

As the trade deadline approaches, MLB’s three largest spenders [[link removed]] are all out of playoff position, while four of the bottom six are solidly contending. The No. 29 team — the $69 million Baltimore Orioles — in particular have soared to the top record in the American League.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“It’s kind of a story from Hollywood … He had to post $300 million in bond to be released after he was arrested. He had to put up his yacht as collateral. It’s crazy the amount of money and power being revealed through this.”

— David Rumsey, Front Office Sports newsletter co-author, on the charges against Tottenham Hotspurs’ owner Joe Lewis for insider trading. To hear more about the allegations against Lewis and what this could mean for Tottenham, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

🎧 Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

Commanders Are Cool Again With Fans and Politicians [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It’s now safe to be around and do business with the Washington Commanders.

For many years a deeply toxic franchise under former owner Dan Snyder, the recent $6.05 billion sale [[link removed]] of the team to a group led by Josh Harris has prompted a rapid re-embrace by fans and politicians that now sets up to be one of the key storylines of the 2023 NFL season.

The opening of the Commanders’ training camp in Ashburn, Virginia, has attracted standing-room-only crowds, with a draw [[link removed]] of 10,000 on Saturday representing the best such turnout for the team since 2015.

The crowds represented a resurgent show of fan support following the team’s precipitous fall [[link removed]] from No. 1 to No. 32 in NFL home attendance over the course of the Snyder era.

What’s Old Is New Again

Meanwhile, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser and several City Council members have expressed public support for a new Commanders stadium there, with the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium, emerging as a leading candidate.

This political backing also fundamentally differs from prior resistance leading to a years-long, unsuccessful pursuit by Snyder to develop a successor facility to FedEx Field, and adds to recently introduced [[link removed]] federal legislation that would help turn the RFK site into a mixed-use development.

“We don’t want a lot of asphalt parking and one use. We want a lot of vibrancy,” Bowser told WJFK-FM. “We think that comes when you have a campus brought to life on days there isn’t a game. Having multiple uses is a high priority for us.”

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NBA Pushing Back At Players’ Trade Demands [[link removed]]

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA is finally making an effort to rein in star players’ seemingly unflappable ability to control what team they play for, no matter the costs.

With Damian Lillard’s request to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers — and not-so-secret desire to end up on the Miami Heat — the latest headline, the league issued a memo [[link removed]] to teams indicating players cannot force their way to a single team and could be disciplined for insinuating they wouldn’t fulfill their contract.

Last season, Kevin Durant reportedly indicated [[link removed]] that Phoenix was his preferred trade destination, and the Brooklyn Nets ended up sending him to the Suns. Kyrie Irving was also unhappy on the Nets and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

The NBA is finally making an effort to rein in star players’ seemingly unflappable ability to control what team they play for, no matter the costs.

With Damian Lillard’s request to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers — and not-so-secret desire to end up on the Miami Heat — the latest headline, the league issued a memo [[link removed]] to teams indicating players cannot force their way to a single team and could be disciplined for insinuating they wouldn’t fulfill their contract.

Last season, Kevin Durant reportedly indicated [[link removed]] that Phoenix was his preferred trade destination, and the Brooklyn Nets ended up sending him to the Suns. Kyrie Irving was also unhappy on the Nets and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Power Struggle

The memo reiterates concerns NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously raised. During this year‘s All-Star weekend he said [[link removed]] he was “strongly against” players speaking publicly about wanting to be traded.

Some players will inevitably end up disgruntled and want out of their teams but consistently aggressive trade demands could leave small market NBA teams in particular with no ability to retain star players even if they sign them to contract extensions beyond their rookie deals.

Situations to watch involving young stars not in top-tier markets include LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, and Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The memo reiterates concerns NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously raised. During this year‘s All-Star weekend he said [[link removed]] he was “strongly against” players speaking publicly about wanting to be traded.

Some players will inevitably end up disgruntled and want out of their teams but consistently aggressive trade demands could leave small market NBA teams in particular with no ability to retain star players even if they sign them to contract extensions beyond their rookie deals.

Situations to watch involving young stars not in top-tier markets include LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, and Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Billion-Dollar Mini-Cities Becoming Top Priority For Stadium Projects [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Expansive development of the surrounding areas at major sports venues is topping the wish-list of teams looking to bring new retail space, bars, restaurants, and family activities closer to their home venues.

These “mini-cities” have proven to be major success stories in locales like Atlanta at the Battery connected to the Braves’ Truist Park and the ever-growing development around the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium as well as its headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has a vast vision [[link removed]] for the Hollywood Park space at SoFI Stadium — which has 15 million square feet of entitlements to work with and the billionaire is looking to build something similar [[link removed]] just outside of Denver for the Colorado Rapids, which he also owns.

The latest team and city to explore the trend is the Cleveland Browns. New renderings [[link removed]] show plans for a land bridge that would connect downtown Cleveland to Lake Erie north of Cleveland Browns Stadium — which lost [[link removed]] its naming rights sponsor earlier this year. Perhaps new development could attract a new company to inject more cash into the club by attaching its name to their venue.

At one point, the Browns had hoped [[link removed]] to get $1 billion in funding from the city of Cleveland for stadium renovations.

The Tennessee Titans are building a new $2.1 billion stadium in Nashville that they hope will host events like the Super Bowl and Final Four and the Jaguars are planning [[link removed]] their “stadium of the future” that would revitalize downtown Jacksonville.

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Conversation Starters Charlotte FC’s new headquarters and training ground is coming soon [[link removed]], with a host of amenities for the MLS club: six full fields and two smaller ones, a player locker room and lounge, a new weight room, an athletic training space, a kitchen and dining area, and business offices. Ryan Vogelsong, a 12-year MLB veteran who won two World Series rings with the San Francisco Giants, is selling his merch-stocked mansion for $6.8 million. Check it out [[link removed]]. Notre Dame’s Irish Athletics Center is a massive modern practice home for Fighting Irish football and soccer. Take a tour [[link removed]]. Editor's Picks Nostalgia Brought SlamBall Back. Can It Survive Among The Startup Leagues? [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]The league raised $11 million from a who's-who of sports investors. 1M PPVs? The Problem — Spence and Crawford Don’t Have True Hostility. [[link removed]]by Mark Lelinwalla [[link removed]]Can skills alone pay the bills in the Spence vs. Crawford match? Former Minnesota Player Pushes Back After P.J. Fleck’s Denials [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]P.J. Fleck acknowledged “The Fleck Bank" and called allegations 'baseless.' Question Of The Day

Have you ever attended a webinar / virtual summit?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] Not yet but I would if interested in topic [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

54% of respondents own 1-2 pairs of sunglasses and 39% own 3+ pairs.

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