D-backs' brass talks payroll, stadium, more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Just prior to the D-backs’ first full-squad workout on Monday, managing general partner Ken Kendrick and team president/CEO Derrick Hall were among those who addressed the team.

Afterward, the pair met with the media, and here are some of the main topics they covered:

Payroll
The D-backs’ Major League payroll is similar to last year’s, which was around $120 million. The figure climbs higher with other factors, such as player pensions and allowances for players who will get called up during the regular season.

Still, it was interesting to note that Kendrick said that during his three years with the team, general manager Mike Hazen has, at times, talked him out of spending more money, rather than the other way around.

“What seems to have evolved, to me, is I’ve had a willingness to personally commit more money than [the baseball operations staff] feels is the smart thing for us to do,” Kendrick said. “It’s maybe the opposite, to a degree, of what you all might think. ...

“That doesn’t mean that payroll won’t increase over time. It certainly will because revenue streams are increasing.”

Stadium
There have been no developments as the D-backs look to either renovate Chase Field or find another location in the Valley.

The team took over control of the facility from Maricopa County and has booked concerts and non-baseball events there over the past year. The D-backs’ agreement with the county does not expire until 2028.

“Right now, we’re focusing on Chase Field now that we do have control of the building,” Hall said. “There’s not such an urgency to figure out that next step. We have time. There’s going to come a time when we continue to kick the tires around Maricopa County. We’re doing everything possible to get that stadium ready and keep it in tip-top shape, prolong the longevity and health of that stadium. It’s our responsibility to do as much due diligence as we can on what it would be like to stay there if we can. That’s where we are right now.”

Whether they renovate Chase Field or find a new location, the D-backs would like to control the area around the ballpark, similar to the mixed-use/retail model that the Braves have in Atlanta. That would provide the organization with more revenue streams.

“It is, without any doubt, our biggest long-term challenge as an organization,” Kendrick said.

The Dodgers
The Dodgers, who have won the last seven National League West titles, added one of the best players in baseball this month when they acquired outfielder Mookie Betts from the Red Sox.

Having a juggernaut in the division that has a lot of money to spend is no doubt a challenge for the D-backs, but the reasons for the Dodgers’ success go deeper than that.

Kendrick and Hall both pointed out something that Hazen has also stated several times -- the Dodgers also acquired players like Max Muncy, who did not cost big money and was available to every team after the A’s released him at the end of Spring Training in 2017.

“I think one of the things you can say about them is they have an extraordinary front office,” Kendrick said. “They haven’t been the highest spender among baseball over the last several years. Getting Mookie Betts is certainly a great play on their part, and they’ll be a better club because they have him. We’re not afraid of competing with them. On paper, they would certainly look to be maybe one of the two best clubs in all of the Major Leagues. Again, I don’t think there’s any fear in our guys in going out and playing the Dodgers.”