$40 Million for at most 35 games?

[MooseDog]

The Oakland A's would be considered a "small-market" team despite being in a major metro area. They don't have much of a TV contract, apparel sales are probably far lower than say the Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox (I don't think that revenue is shared) and I even think for some reason they don't get a share of MLB TV revenue any more.

This plus an ownership group that is happy to be competitive, mildly profitable and has trained the fan base to not get attached to any particular players since they'll be gone in 3-4 years. We're basically an MLB "farm system" for the rest of the league.

Also playing in a 55 year old football stadium unfavorable to hitters doesn't make the team a prime destination for marquee players.

[packs]

Sure but wouldn't a winning team put an end to those woes? Every owner is a billionaire and the only reason for a team to stink is because they want to.

All things being equal, if the Pirate's owner owned the Yankees, do you think the Yankees would be any good? I don't. That owner doesn't want a winning team no matter where it is. They're paying 38 million dollars to field one this year. Less than Bauer makes in one season as an individual.