Stan Kasten's post-Lerner spending binge continues: Zack Greinke will sign a 6-year, $147 Million deal with Kasten's LA Dodgers.
According to the LA Times, when the Greinke deal becomes official the Dodgers will have more than $220 million in salary commitments on the books for the 2013 season. And that's not including the freshly-inked, 6-year, $36 million deal for Korean lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Here's the kicker: Amazingly, the sum total of the 2007-2010 Washington Nationals Opening Day payrolls under Kasten's "watch", when he was walking around disgruntled because he wasn't allowed to spend Ted Lerner's money: $213,061,500 (2007: $37,347,500 + 2008: $54,961,000 + 2009, $59,328,000 + 2010, $61,425,000).
And so the Opening Day payroll for the 2013 LA Dodgers will be at least $7 million more than the combined Opening Day payrolls of the 2007-2010 Washington Nationals under Stan Kasten. Good thing Stan Kasten wasn't allowed to spend Ted Lerner's money the way he wanted to?
Don't forget: one of the reasons for Kasten's departure from the Nats at the end of the 2010 season was reportedly Ted Lerner's unwillingness to spend his money:
One source said Kasten wants to take time away from the game for personal reasons. However, another person in the industry believes a "lack of commitment from ownership" to spend on upgrading the roster was a factor in Kasten's decision. (Jon Morosi, 9/26/2010)
And now Kasten, enabled by his fellow Guggenheim Baseball Management group partners, is making up for all the lost time in Washington? Financial bullying?
(Photo is by Associated Press)
Nats did ok without Kasten IMHO.
Posted by: NatsFan | December 10, 2012 at 12:57 AM
Stan wasn't up against the Lerners as he was against Scott Boras, who suggested the Nats lose a few more years. That plan turned out to be brilliant,given the acquisition of Strasburg and Harper.
+1/2St.
Posted by: Positively Half St. | December 10, 2012 at 05:23 AM