Here is a quick message from 1963.
The best things in life are free
But you can’t keep ’em for the birds and bees
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Your loving give me a thrill
But your loving don’t pay my bills
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Money don’t get everything it’s true
What it don’t get I can’t use
Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want
Okay, it goes on a bit repeating some of the lyrics above. To be honest, I did not realize this was one of the Beatles’ many early covers, co-written by Motown founder Berry Gordy back in 1959.
But the theme is still alive and well here in 2026.
Do I blame Kyle Tucker for signing a contract for 4 years / $240 million with the Dodgers? No, I would gladly have done the same in his shoes.
Do I blame baseball for what feels like an out-of-control, bound-to-burst bubble, a lack of understanding of the basics of finances? Perhaps.
Let’s talk about a few facts here to try and understand where we have ended up.
- While not as large as some of the other longer contracts handed out, including the Shohei Ohtani 10-year/ $700 million agreement with those same Dodgers, it is considered the largest based on annual worth due to having a smaller portion deferred.
- Kyle’s contract, after considering $30 million in deferred payments, is worth a record $57.1 million in AAV (average annual value) – $6 million more than the previous largest $51.1 million AAV for Juan Soto. (Ohtani has so much deferred money that it is “only” worth $46 million AAV.
- That $57.1 million is worth $156K per day every day of the year or more than a $1 million lottery win per week. It is worth more than $352K per game in a season. If Tucker plays the 107 games he averaged the last two season, he would be making $533K per game.
- Now, while being a 4 time All-Star with one Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards, Tucker has never hit .300 BA. He’s never hit more than 30 HRs, nor knocked in more than 112 runs (and had 122 RBIs total the last two seasons). And he has that mediocre .233 BA/ .317 OBP/ .692 OPS line in 72 playoff games.
- As Chip Bailey pointed out recently, Nolan Ryan was the first player to get a $1 million/year contract in 1980. With inflation that would be worth $3.9 million today; not $57.1 million.
- While it is possible that the highest paid player in 1980 should have gotten more than $1 million, it cannot be denied that the money today is coming from someplace other than the owner’s deep pockets.
- One place is the average fan’s pocket. Looking at a variety of sources, it is estimated that the average cost to take a family of four to Daikin Park runs somewhere between $300 and $400 for tickets, parking and concessions. (Your mileage may vary).
- Another place is your cable bill. Space City Network started off after the 2023 season at $109 per year. Today it is at $199 per year.
- And of course this is reflected in every other media source, and concession involved in the business.
Over the years, I’ve turned more and more into that old “Get off my shed” guy in the neighborhood about money in baseball. Not because I think that the salary insanity is stopping anytime soon. Or because I think baseball will collapse from the weight of this anytime soon (but eventually). But I can’t stomach paying this much to go to games anymore. And because I am afraid the Dodgers are becoming what the Yankees became back in the 1950’s. The Yankees turned the KC Athletics into almost a minor league feeder to them (though they were reportedly a major league team). The Dodgers today have just spat at the luxury tax and its penalties and soared into the stratosphere. They are expected to be at least $160 million over the luxury tax number again in 2026….and that is with Ohtani at a minimal salary until the deferrals eventually kick in.
The fascinating thing that is coming to baseball and its fans will be when the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) with the player’s union expires after the 2026 season. Baseball will push for a hard salary cap. Players will not agree to this. Perhaps they would agree to it with a salary floor (a minimum every team must spend) put in place. Perhaps not.
But it does not take being as smart as an old baseball blogger to know that there will likely be no MLB baseball at the beginning of the 2027 season and perhaps for most or all of the season.
The owners will ask the players to save them from themselves. The players will ask, why should they? And the fans will suffer the most.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 