By Brian Joura
To date, we’ve seen 2024 Opening Day roster projections from two people here at the site – Steven and Denis. We might see one or two more, too. This piece today is going to be somewhat like that but more in the vein of what’s possible, rather than, “here’s what should happen.”
In the post-Madoff, pre-Steven Cohen days, we needed to approach this exercise with a fixed budget in place. Here in 2023, we don’t have the slightest clue where the payroll will sit when April 1 rolls around. And if you think you do – or if you think there’s no limit to what it might be – well, you’re kidding yourself.
It’s certainly possible that Cohen will run a $331 million Opening Day payroll and a $376 million Luxury Tax payroll like he did in 2023. But you have to keep a couple of other things in mind. First, when push came to shove, Cohen did not maintain that payroll throughout the season. Now, you can say that he was just being a smart businessman when he sold high-dollar players for prospects. But if you’re going to hang your hat on “smart businessman,” then you have to carry that over to the next step, too.
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