A couple thoughts:
– Dan Duquette never said the franchise lost money in recent years. He said the team funded a major league payroll that was larger than the presumed regular payroll for a market our size. Our payroll has been over $160+M – so I believe DD’s quote is spot on. We have funded this payroll through delayed investments especially internationally – which reflects the urgency to win now and invest every last dollar in the major league roster at the expense of better investments in international prospect (that would ultimately have ultimately lowered payroll).
– I do not believe the quotes should be a surprise to anyone. Attendance is way down, MASN viewership is way down. Revenues will be down accordingly next year. We need to bring payroll down to a point to reflect the lower revenues and still allow the investments we need to make.
– I would not be surprised to see Buck retained, but at a lower salary, if Buck wants to stay.
– I believe Chris Davis will be back next season, but could be a candidate to be released prior to or during the 2020 season
