Yesterday Major League Baseball took over the Los Angeles Dodgers amid the financial 
uncertainty of owner Frank McCourt. The Dodgers organization and much of baseball was shocked. Typically, MLB takes over during an ownership change or in the event that an ownership group is doing injustice to the organization, fans, and competitive nature of the league. That is not the case with McCourt. Yes, he went through an ugly, public divorce but he maintained a competitive team and had finally emerged from the divorce ready to lead. He has a $3 billion TV deal on the table (that’ll help) and some of the games best young position players. Not to mention that payroll in LA is somewhere around the $120 million dollar mark, good for top 10 in baseball. Public estimates of McCourt’s bank account may be drastically different from those that the MLB looked at in deciding to take over the organization. With that in mind, I hate to comment too heavily on their decision but, it seems to me that MLB would have been better suited to take over for a handful of other organizations. My Top 6 teams in need of an MLB takeover:
6. Atlanta Braves- The Braves were once owned by Ted Turner and his free spending, vivacious attitude about the game made the Braves the team of the South. The Braves draw from all over the South and are run by great men in the front office. Liberty Media sees the Braves as a business and gives little financial flexibility to the team. Payroll is about $90 million every year but a single owner or figurehead would be a welcome site in Atlanta once again. Braves fans do not care for this mysterious group signing the checks.
5. Los Angelos Angels- Angels fans hate Arte Moreno. The trade for Vernon Wells simply
Moreno is smug
indicated that Moreno had money to spend but only so much. He’s one of the richest owners in the league but does not put it into the team the way that guys like The Boss used to do. MLB may not need to take over for Moreno but it needs to pressure him into being a good owner (if that is possible).
4. Baltimore Orioles- These guys just don’t know what they’re doing in Baltimore. I feel bad for O’s faithful. They’ve been bad for awhile now. The last time they finished less than 21 games back was in 2000 and the last time they were .500 was 1997. Attendance has not increased since that 1997 season. Peter Angelos needs to go.
3. Florida Marlins- It is painfully obvious the business plan that owner Jeffrey Loria uses in Miami. Get really good young players, let them develop, then let them walk once the team gets good. With this type of model, its impossible for fans to connect with their favorite players year after year. Loria’s also the guy who ran the Expos/Nationals into the ground in 2002. How is he still allowed to own a team? Yes, I know they are building a new stadium in Miami and I know its hard to get people to go the games but perhaps a new owner could get people in the stands.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates- The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992 (I had just turned one). They got a new owner in 2007, Robert Nutting, who has proved to be no better than his predecessor. Pirates payroll is always in the bottom 5 of the league and a big free agent has not come to Pittsburgh since… let me get back to you on this one…. Its clear that ownership in Pittsburgh is less concerned with winning and more concerned with profiting. In the spirit of competitive baseball, MLB please take over the Pirates and fix them.
1. New York Mets- I know we make fun of the Mets a ton on here but much of it is deserved. Bobby Bonilla, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Johan Santana and Jason Bay aren’t currently playing for the Mets. But that isn’t stopping the Mets from paying them a combined $57.6 million this year. Which is more than the Royals, Rays, Padres, Pirates, Indians and Diamondbacks are paying the guys who ARE playing for them. It goes beyond dumb payroll decisions and into dumb investment decisions (cough Madoff cough). The Mets have gotten countless loans from MLB.
Stat of the Day: Michael Pineda (Mariners) has averaged 95.9 mph on his fastball this year: tops in the Majors among starters.
-Sean Morash
