D-Backs, Stewart Comfortable with $91.5 Million Payroll by Steve
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│ D-backs, Stewart comfortable with $91.5 million payroll By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/107566464/d-backs- general-manager-dave-stewart-comfortable-with-915-million- payroll Super Bowl week: 5 top things to do Tuesday By The Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/events/super- bowl/2015/01/26/super-bowl-tuesday-top-things-to- MLB NEWS do/22379717/ January 27, 2015 • MLB.com http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_ind D-backs New Vision: A great time to be a Diamondback ex.jsp By FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/video/d-backs-new-vision- ASSOCIATED PRESS a-great-time-to-be-a-diamondback-012615 January 27, 2015 • Sports.yahoo.com http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews Diamondbacks confident in Gosewisch as number-one catcher MLB TRANSACTIONS By Mark Brown / Examiner.com January 27, 2015 • MLB.com http://www.examiner.com/article/diamondbacks-confident- http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions gosewisch-as-number-one-catcher A View From Studio 3: Hale ready to lead New D-backs skipper paid dues, long groomed to manage By Matt Yallof / MLB.com http://m.mlb.com/news/article/107537608/a-view-from- studio-3-d-backs-chip-hale-ready-to-be-manager Seahawks Fan Fest Set for Saturday at Chase Field By Frank MacDonald / Seahawks.com http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/article-1/Seahawks- Fan-Fest-Set-for-Saturday-at-Chase-Field/c5e419b1-a237-4974- a501-114957b24fce Seahawks fans unite: Fan fest in Phoenix Saturday By Travis Pittman / NBC 5-Seattle http://www.king5.com/story/sports/nfl/seahawks/2015/01/2 6/seahawks-fan-fest-phoenix/22365273/ 1 │ "The market has changed, and we thought it would and knew it would once [Max] Scherzer came out," Stewart said. "We tried D-backs, Stewart comfortable with $91.5 million payroll hard." By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com Super Bowl week: 5 top things to do Tuesday http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/107566464/d-backs- By The Arizona Republic general-manager-dave-stewart-comfortable-with-915-million- http://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/events/super- payroll bowl/2015/01/26/super-bowl-tuesday-top-things-to- do/22379717/ PHOENIX -- With a little more than three weeks until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, D-backs general Diamondbacks take over Phoenix Open | Paul Goldschmidt, manager Dave Stewart says his team's payroll is at $91.5 million, Aaron Hill, A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin, along with Luis a number the club is comfortable with maintaining. Gonzalez and mascot D. Baxter the Bobcat will be among 12 celebrities and sports stars to pair with a Special Olympics golfer, That figure could go up a bit depending on what happens with business leaders and PGA professionals to participate in the Arizona's arbitration cases with outfielder Mark Trumbo and Outfront Media Celebrity Putting Challenge, benefitting Special closer Addison Reed. Olympics Arizona. | DETAILS: The putting starts at 11 a.m. at the TPC Scottsdale Putting Green at 17020 N. Hayden Road, Previously, Stewart had estimated the payroll would be much Scottsdale. higher, but that was when he thought the $16 million to sign Cuban right-hander Yoan Lopez -- a signing bonus of more than D-backs New Vision: A great time to be a Diamondback $8 million, plus the 100 percent tax on that amount for going By FOX Sports Arizona over their international signing cap -- would count against the http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/video/d-backs-new-vision- 2015 payroll. a-great-time-to-be-a-diamondback-012615 "I'm finding out that number does not officially affect our Major (Video embedded on webpage). League budget," Stewart said. Diamondbacks confident in Gosewisch as number-one It is possible the D-backs could further shed some salary from catcher their books before the start of Spring Training that would bring By Mark Brown / Examiner.com the Opening Day payroll below $90 million. http://www.examiner.com/article/diamondbacks-confident- gosewisch-as-number-one-catcher "Probably," Stewart said when asked if there were moves he could make. "I can't say for sure. I don't know what the other To playing winning, championship baseball, most pundits teams are going to be thinking about, but I've got to think that believe pitching and defense will get the job done. probably if we need to do something, that there will be some opportunities at this point. I don't know if that's going to be Add to this equation the factor of strong catching, and most sooner or later, but we'll have time to adjust to that and make teams rise with this right arrangement. decisions on that." While Arizona front office decision-makers like to think they That would probably involve moving players such as right- have depth and quality at middle infield position and a solid hander Trevor Cahill, who is owed $12 million for 2015, or centerfielder in A. J. Pollock, they may be a little less assure of outfielder Cody Ross, who is set to make $8.5 million this year. the current state of catching. In order to trade either of those players, the D-backs would likely have to pay almost all of the money owed, but they could Having traded Miguel Montero, and his $40 million albatross to possibly save a couple of million dollars in the process. the Chicago Cubs, the Diamondbacks head into spring training with Tuffy Gosewisch as their one number catcher on the 2015 Stewart, though, said reducing the payroll at this point is not a depth chart. priority. By all accounts, Gosewisch turned in a creditable season as "I have not been asked to do that," Stewart said. "No one has Montero’s back-up in 2013 and provided an adequate means of given me that direction. No one has told me that before the relief. Despite hitting .225 (29-for-129) in 41 games, the former season starts, 'You need to cut payroll.' No one has told me that stand-out at Arizona State University popped eight doubles and before the All-Star break, 'You need to cut payroll.' Nobody said one home run. That may not be considered as power numbers that. We're not going to hurt ourselves and not give ourselves an but, at this point, there is no one else to whom manager Chip opportunity to win as many games as we can to try to get guys Hale can turn. off the books." Waiting in the wings is 24-year-old Peter O’Brien, whom the But neither are they looking to add significant payroll at this Diamondbacks acquired last summer from the New York point, which is why Stewart said last week that the club was no Yankees in exchange for infielder Martin Prado. While the longer in the running for free-agent right-hander James Shields. Diamondbacks wait for O’Brien to hone both offensive and defensive skills, Gosewisch is now at center stage. Currently, O’Brien is listed on the double-AA Mobile BayBears roster, but that can change at nearly a moment’s notice. 2 │ Over the past few seasons, then manager Kirk Gibson Stewart concedes that production from the catching position is continually told reporters that the organization “penciled” in 130 not mandatory and points out that if the Diamondbacks receive to 140 or so games for Montero as the starting catcher. After all, even marginal results that would be a bonus. Gibson argued, that was essentially the expected playing time for a player considered the number one catcher on a team’s depth While hitting from the other seven positions, save the pitcher, chart. deem adequate for now, Gosewisch, for the time being, is the gate keeper. With the Montero trade, the expectation follows that Gosewisch would also be counted upon to endure the punishment of a 140 WHAT WINNING WILL DO game, major league schedule. When the Kansas City Royals advanced to the World Series last Not so. autumn, they clearly aroused interest in their up-coming spring training schedule. “The work load changed,” said general manager Dave Stewart. “With Tuffy, we’re looking at 110, perhaps 120 games and we’re In figures released by the city of Surprise, the combined spring confident in Tuffy.” training site of the Texas Rangers and the Royals, ticket sales for the Royals is up 46 percent from this time a year ago. Perhaps, but Gosewisch’s endurance track record is not that strong. In 2014, spring ticket sales for the combined Rangers and Royals was reported at $772,000 and at the same time this year, Jan. 26, The most games he participated during any professional season, revenue was reported at $910,000. dating back to 2005, is 109 games for double-AA Reading (Phillies organization) in 2011. In the 2008 season at high A Last spring, the Royals and Rangers combined for revenue Clearwater, Gosewisch appeared in 102 games. reported at $2.2 million and that figure is scheduled to be surpassed. The questions of stamina and durability are issues Hale and his staff face in naming Gosewisch as their leading catcher. Yet, The Royals open their spring slate Wed. March 4 against the Stewart dismissed the notion that Gosewisch will be over over- Rangers in Surprise. worked. ”We have guys who can handle our staff, and Tuffy, right now, is the main one,” Stewart said. “At this point, we can turn to a A View From Studio 3: Hale ready to lead few guys, and we’ll have to wait to see how this develops in New D-backs skipper paid dues, long groomed to manage spring training.” By Matt Yallof / MLB.com http://m.mlb.com/news/article/107537608/a-view-from- On the 40-man roster, the Diamondbacks list 21-year-old Oscar studio-3-d-backs-chip-hale-ready-to-be-manager Hernandez as Gosewisch’s back-up, and a player whom they drafted as a Rule 5 selection from the Rays’ organization during To be completely honest, this week's view is actually not from last month’s winter meetings.