Instead of payroll, the Orioles have "opted to focus financially on other areas -- scouting, analytics, minor league development -- to the detriment of the present," but in an "attempt to build a long-term contender," according to Gardner & Kostka of the BALTIMORE SUN. There is an internal belief in the organization that "under the surface is a change of fortune, a revitalization of a franchise" that recently became the lone MLB club to "lose value" in '21. The club "isn't built to win this year," and their lightweight payroll -- about $40M for players currently in the organization -- "reflects that." But the Orioles hope that spending money on "longer-term, sustainable efforts, such as scouting, analytics and the development of minor league players," can lead to a "more competitive club in coming years." Orioles GM Mike Elias said, “The next three years will represent a much clearer reflection of what’s going on beneath the surface.” Meanwhile, the club’s home attendance has "decreased each year" since '14, when the team "averaged 30,806 fans a game." They averaged "just over 10,000 fans a game" in '21 -- including a Camden Yards "low of 4,965 one September night" (BALTIMORE SUN, 4/10).
Orioles' spending focus not yet on field, but club has eye on long-term stability
