D-backs begin camp filled with October expectations
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Last spring, D-backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick was hopeful that his team would make the postseason. This year, as Arizona went through its first full-squad workout of the spring, Kendrick had a different feeling.
“This year, I think we expect to play October baseball, and if we don't, we'll be disappointed,” Kendrick said. “So a little bit of a different message because of the result of a year ago.”
The D-backs are coming off a season in which they won 84 games, qualified for the postseason by a single game and then made an unexpected run all the way to the World Series before falling to the Rangers in five games.
Kendrick and team president/CEO Derrick Hall addressed the media following the first team meeting of the spring. Here are some of the highlights:
They are pleased with the job GM Mike Hazen did this offseason
Despite getting to the World Series, Hazen entered the offseason with a realistic view of his team -- pointing out several times that the D-backs won just 84 games and were outscored over the course of the season, so roster improvements were needed.
Hazen went out and acquired third baseman Eugenio Suárez, outfielder/DH Joc Pederson, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and outfielder Randal Grichuk.
“I think most would see us -- I do at least -- as a better club on paper than we were when the season ended, based on the moves that Mike and his guys have made,” Kendrick said. “And we had, as you're always going to have, holes to fill on the roster and I think they've done a nice job of filling them.”
The payroll reflects the belief they have in the team
The D-backs are set to open the season with the highest payroll in club history, something that Kendrick said last year’s success enabled them to do.
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“I think if you looked probably at where the 30 clubs are, we're certainly now going to be in the upper half in terms of our spending as compared to maybe being in the lower third [previously],” Kendrick said. “And I think that's a comfortable position. You all know that we spend the revenues that come in.
“We don't take money off of the table and put it in [the ownership group’s] pockets. We invest it back in the club, and being in the playoffs last year, going as far as we went, created substantial additional revenue. And I believe our commitment should be to the team and to the community, to put the money back into the team on the field. And we've done that.”
Stadium talks are ongoing
The D-backs are currently talking with county, city and state officials about a deal to renovate Chase Field, which has become one of the oldest stadiums in the Majors.
While Arizona had talked with other cities within Maricopa County around relocating, the club is now focused on what it is calling “Chase Field Reimagined."
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“It's been a long work in progress, as you know, and we're at the point now where we're just trying to figure out the best possible partnership -- public/private -- that we can have that would keep us at a Chase Field,” Hall said. “That's been our preference is to stay at Chase and invest in Chase, and we're willing to invest.”
Both Kendrick and Hall said they were disappointed in the pace of the talks, but still hopeful of an agreement that works for all parties.
TBD on television deal
The D-backs lost their broadcasting deal with Bally Sports when the company filed for bankruptcy last year.
Major League Baseball produced D-backs games starting in July and the team has been exploring multiple broadcast avenues this year. The D-backs hope to have a resolution soon.
“The net important thing for a Diamondbacks fan is, ‘Am I going to be able to watch my favorite team on television?” Kendrick said. “Yes, you are.”
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Ticket sales are going well
Not unexpectedly, the D-backs are experiencing a bump in ticket sales after last season.
Hall said the team is budgeting for over two million fans to come through the turnstiles this season, its highest projection in a while.
Hall said the team has also sold over 2,500 new season ticket packages, which he said puts them “into the teens” in terms of the total number, which is higher than they’ve been recently.