What Light Does Diamondbacks Deal Shed on the Minnesota Twins?

When the Minnesota Twins sent Cory Provus to the microphone to announce that he would be taking over as the TV voice of the Twins, the significant promise was that blackouts were going away. The Twins said they may be cash-strapped this offseason because they would be losing their (somewhat) lucrative television rights fees from Bally Sports North. Fast-forward to where we are now, and they instead re-upped with Bally for close to the same amount while streaming ceases to exist and blackouts remain.

The Arizona Diamondbacks felt a similar situation just a year ago. As Bally Sports defaulted on their rights payments, the TV contract with the company ended over the summer. The franchise was set to receive more money than the Twins at $61.2 million, and they were suddenly out in the cold looking for answers. Of course, the Diamondbacks went on to play in the World Series, ending the year on a note with their franchise riding a substantial-high.

Heading into the 2024 season, fans needed to know where and how they could consume Arizona baseball. On February 22, it was announced that the Diamondbacks would offer a full-year streaming package through MLB.tv that would come in at $99.99. The package was dubbed DBACKS.TV and allows in-market users to watch the games with no blackouts. For an additional $100, they could also get every out-of-market game through an expanded level of service.

The hit in revenue from a $61.2 million regional sports network rights fee to whatever is generated by the new streaming service will be felt. However, it isn’t something that stopped Arizona ownership. Spending at lackluster thresholds as recently as 2002, the Diamondbacks have upped their payroll from sub-$100 million to $143 million in 2023 and currently sit around $140 million for 2024, potentially expanding roughly $20 million beyond that.

Phoenix is a similar market to Minneapolis, and 2023 Forbes valuations have Arizona as the 23rd most valuable franchise, one place behind Minnesota. Despite this, the spending and present situations couldn’t be more different. Where the Twins have slashed payroll by over $30 million, the Diamondbacks brought in Eduardo Rodriguez, Joc Pederson, and Randal Grichuck. They also re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and extended Corbin Caroll for the long haul. All of those things happened with depressed present money, and Minnesota is out just roughly $8 million from rights fees from a year ago.

It is worth noting that Ken Kendrick has followed that up by talking about a new stadium and leaving the door open to all avenues. Chase Field was opened in 1998, and the Diamondbacks owner is looking for his spending on the roster to be met with public funding for a new place to play. That is a contentious tradeoff but one that typically happens anyway. Ownership groups seek public funding for stadiums almost exclusively, and doing so before a commitment towards the on-field product would be quite the way to go about it.

Even with the strings attached to the dollars, it remains clear that Arizona is focused on capitalizing on the run they just went on. A trip to the World Series had the fan base buzzing, and an offseason of excitement has continued that momentum. Rather than ride the wave of postseason success for the first time in years and the best season in three decades, the Twins immediately threw water on it.

Next season, there will be a more significant commitment of dollars in Twins Territory as the rising costs of arbitration and extended players kick in. That shouldn’t make anyone feel comforted, with lesser revenues derived from viewership, and already backing off spending when the money is the same. The Twins ownership group has been the culprit of an ugly offseason, and when they finally follow through on enhancing viewership, stripping down the team even further could commence.