Baseball Players Are Entertainers Says Tigers GM
DETROIT (WWJ) - Big salaries are the way of the world for Major League Baseball.
That topic addressed by Detroit Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski Tuesday at Hockeytown Cafe, for an event hosted by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
Dombrowski said there are a couple of things people have to keep in mind when it comes to Major League salaries.
"These players are entertainers and you have to relate to them in entertainment dollars," Dombrowski said.
He says a good example of that are some of the players on the Tigers team right now.
"So when you start looking at a Max Scherzer making $6.725 (million)...if you looked at that twenty years ago you'd say 'no way'", he added.
But he said Tuesday those kinds of salaries are very common because revenue has increased dramatically in the last 20 years in the MLB.
And what of the newly acquired Torii Hunter?
"He's an outstanding defensive player," said Dombrowski of Hunter. "Which in our ballpark is extremely important - we have not had a plus defensive outfield over the last couple of years other than in center field on a consistent basis... so now you got two gold glove caliber players, in right field and center field with Austin Jackson."
He said he expects Hunter to fill a void when it comes to hitting against left handed pitchers.
Spring training begins next week for the Detroit Tigers.
