There is so much to the story and as you’ll see with various sources, there’s all kinds of things leaking out connected to NIL and Tony’s strained relationship with Danny White. But here’s the reality of the MLB job. If Tony is a legit candidate (which I think he is) for this job, any major league team with any sensibility would not want to pay him more than $2 million a year. Look at the pay of the 30 teams in MLB right now. This information isn’t secret so there’s no need to speculate. Tony makes more than over half of the managers in Major League Baseball, right now at Tennessee. That’s a fact. Only eight managers make over $4 million a year and those guys resumes are pretty damn impressive. We’re talking about a guy that’s never sat in a professional dugout in his life. Those are the kind of risk that MLB teams simply do not take. Not established programs like the Giants.
So, this is a huge gamble for the Giants if they go this direction. They do not want to be on the hook for some exuberant guaranteed contract for an unproven commodity. No matter how great we know that Tony is, that doesn’t translate to success in the major leagues. I’m really shocked at the lack of understanding of so many so-called sports fans understand about the differences in college and professional baseball. It’s huge.
The textbook answer seems to be that people think Tony will make more money in the major leagues when in fact that should never be the case. At BEST!!, he should be about a $1.5 million a year coach in Major league baseball. Would a lower level team take a risk on a coach like that to try to get a return on the investment? Sure. Does a top-notch team like the Giants do those kind of things? Hell no.
So, one has to believe that Tony’s going to be made one of the seven highest paid coaches in MLB. Think about that for a minute. And what is shocking is most people say this without even batting an eye. It is a completely insane proposition.
Therefore, I think Tony’s continued interest and pursuit is due to the fact that he is frustrated with the situation at UT. This reapportionment of NIL dollars is a lot bigger problem than what people know or are willing to admit. This has been brewing way before Tony’s name came up for any job. Danny White should’ve been working to fix this to find more resources and more money to provide baseball. Instead, it appears that Danny is throwing up his hands and saying, “what am I supposed to do?“ Well, I’ll tell you what you’re supposed to do, figure it the **** out!
Why has this drug out? This is only speculation on my part, but I truly believe it’s because Tony is trying to figure out a way to make the math make sense. On both sides. I believe if San Francisco would pay him $4 million the deal would be signed.
Dont get me wrong, I believe SF is genuinely interested, but this is pro ball. Ownership isn’t real keen on a GM going this far outside the box. And certainly not for big dollars.
My prediction? Tony takes the job and for a lot less money than people think. Why? I think k he’s over Danny White We’ll see.
