Arizona Diamondbacks’ struggles: Follow the money
Apr 28, 2014, 9:53 PM | Updated: Apr 29, 2014, 4:22 pm
While watching the Arizona Diamondbacks struggle to begin the 2014 season, it’s tough not to think back to something team president Derrick Hall said during spring training.
Chatting with Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Hall said teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers have an advantage because they can, literally, afford to make player personnel mistakes.
“In our situation we cannot afford to make mistakes,” Hall said on March 27. “When we go out and get a free agent or if we make a trade and it doesn’t work out, we’re hurting for years. Whereas if you’re the Dodgers or a team spending a lot of money, you make a mistake you just turn the page and you pay someone else. That is the tough part; that is the disparity.”
It’s true. Major League Baseball is structured to where the wealthier teams do have a bit of an advantage, though as Hall also said in that interview, a high payroll does not necessarily equate to a high win total.
But the problem for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who entering play Monday were a Major League-worst 8-20, is that they have made mistakes, and plenty of them. Here’s a look at the team’s 10 highest paid players, courtesy of ESPN.com: