This would be so much easier if OOTP only cared to make it so…but to do it I had to pull individual parts of the finances report. I dunno. Maybe there’s a better way. But once I had it I figured it was interesting enough you might get a kick out of it, too. And then there’s those sweat, sweat PPT (am I right, Sean?). Anyway, I figured I’ll do a little kibbutzing as I reveal, bottom to top, the most expensive coaching staffs in the BBA.
Sub $4M
Let’s start with the cheapskates and skinflints, teams that are spending under $4M for their coaching.
Team | Staff |
---|---|
SAC | $3,951,000 |
YS9 | $3,927,000 |
OMA | $3,806,000 |
BOI | $3,802,500 |
DM | $3,660,000 |
EDM | $3,631,000 |
I suppose these could just be one-season oddities. Who knows?
I should note thet Edmonton’s most expensive staff member is a tie between manager Juan Carlos Gonzalez and the GM himself, Chris Robillard—which brings up an interesting point. All of our GM contracts are different. Robillard makes $650K, Shoeless in Sacramento makes $260K. Odd, right? Geoff Webb makes $700K.
It’s maybe of interest that the most expensive staff member in these bottom six teams is YS9’s team trainer, Julian Carmona, who makes a cool $830K this season.
$4.0M - $4.5M
Here we are in the low middle. If pure supposition holds, then you’d figure this to be a place where the listless reins—teams who spend a little but don’t get value. Of course, I thought the bottom dwellers would be bottom dwellers, too, so what do I know?
Here’s the list: it’s ten teams big.
Team | Staff |
---|---|
MEX | $4,500,000 |
PHX | $4,457,000 |
CHI | $4,383,000 |
CHA | $4,333,000 |
MAD | $4,230,000 |
TWC | $4,194,000 |
HAW | $4,185,000 |
CCJ | $4,129,000 |
SA | $4,125,000 |
MTL | $4,050,000 |
Anyway, you’ve got Charlotte and Madison on the list as two teams that haven’t mad ethe post season in a little bit, and Montreal who has come out of a rebuild, got really, really close, and then sputtered. Phoenix is in a bit of a sandslide down, but has been solid before. Otherwise, you’ve got a set of fairly solid teams who have performed reasonably well in the past—and Hawaii may well be one of the better teams in the league right now…though one has to be careful of that kind of conversation in May.
A few fun facts of note: Charlotte is paying their A-ball manager $350K (which is almost what Brett Golden makes), and their assistant GM $450K (which is more). Hawaii’s bench coach makes $55K, which is less than any staff member above Short-A. (Note I left the phrase “Staff member” alone in deference to Joe and his Wang thing. You’re welcome). In Chicago, pitching coach David Brown makes $1,046,000 a pop and will continue to do so until 2046—which makes you wonder if he’s got a ting on the side with Benny.
Hey, Marko? What are you doing with your $850K Brewster Bucks?
$4.5M - $5.0M
You’ll maybe note that Mexico City sits right there on the edge of $4.5M, and could go into this group or not. You make the call. Regardless, the league averages about $4.7M spent on coaches and whatnot, so this band is the home of that X that marks that spot.
Let’s see who these middle-zone teams are.
Team | Staff |
---|---|
NO | $4,899,000 |
POR | $4,869,000 |
WIC | $4,869,000 |
ATC | $4,782,000 |
SEA | $4,634,000 |
SFB | $4,586,000 |
VAN | $4,528,000 |
CLG | $4,515,000 |
I’m not sure what to make of any of this, though as I look at I ponder whether the GM salaries are actually part of the equation, and if so, should we standardize them? Dunno. I’ll check if I get a chance.
$5M - $6M
Team | Staff |
---|---|
VAL | $5,830,000 |
LV | $5,704,000 |
LBC | $5,342,555 |
RCK | $5,324,000 |
Bottom line: for whatever reason, it feels nice to see mostly top teams in the upper ranges.
Now, though, let’s move to the really big spenders…
$6M and Up!
Here are the top four teams when it comes to investing in the old coaching staff.
Team | Staff |
---|---|
LOU | $7,194,000 |
BRK | $6,580,000 |
NSH | $6,393,000 |
JAX | $6,236,000 |
Okay, I lied before. The highest paid manager in the BBA is the Hurricane’s Lothar Platzdasch, who is banking a cool $2.298M through 2046. That’s some bass, right there. The bench coach makes $64K. Gotta think those one-on-one performance reviews might be a little awkward.
It is perhaps of some interest that Louisville’s pitching coach is Bob Carr and he makes $2M a year on a deal that started this season. Hmm…Interesting.
So, there you have it. I’m not sure what to make of it. Given the distribution of teams, maybe there’s something to the idea of “better teams spend more money on their coaches,” but maybe note. It’s all it the eye of the beholder, I suppose. So you feel free to pull up a chair and tell me if you see anything that jumps out at you…