D-Backs continue to spend money despite RSN uncertainty, Cardinals refuse to do so

In the middle of the 2023 summer, Bally Sports and parent company Diamond Sports Group cut the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres from their broadcasting deals. As a result, Major League Baseball took on the onus of broadcasting these teams' games to broader audiences.

This was very detrimental to the Diamondbacks, as the team and Diamond agreed to a deal that would pay the D-Backs $61.2 million in 2023 alone. The deal was set to continue for another 12 years after the 2023 season, too.

In the winter of 2024, the Diamondbacks announced that they would create a direct-to-consumer package that would cost $99.99 for the entirety of the 2024 season. The same package can be purchased for 2025.

It's assumed that the Diamondbacks will not recoup the entirety of the $61.2 million they were promised via their deal with Bally. However, that hasn't prevented Ken Kendrick, the club's owner, from spending in the past two offseasons. Last offseason, the Diamondbacks signed one of the offseason's best starting pitchers in Jordan Montgomery to a one-year, $25 million deal with a vesting option for 2025 that has since been exercised. The vesting option is valued at $22.5 million.

In the wee hours of the night on December 28th, it was reported that the Diamondbacks agreed to a six-year, $210 million deal with 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Burnes, 30, was one of the best-starting pitchers on the market this offseason, and the Diamondbacks didn't hesitate to bolster a rotation that already featured Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

The Diamondbacks haven't been hesitant to add to their roster despite financial uncertainty surrounding their Regional Sports Network. The same can't be said of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In fact, the DeWitt family has been quite adamant that they're cutting payroll because they are losing money in their TV deal. Despite the deal being restructured in early November, the ownership group is still intent on slashing payroll to levels that haven't been seen in St. Louis in over a decade.

The Cardinals are taking a pay reduction of around 25% to have now FanDuel Sports Network broadcast their games for the 2025 season, but they'll still receive approximately $58 million in revenue from the network.

Last offseason, the Cardinals did ink Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million deal. That was a deal that benefitted the Cardinals greatly in 2024, and he'll be on the roster these next two years to lead a young squad. However, the Cardinals are sitting pat this offseason despite glaring needs in the rotation.

As things currently stand, the Cardinals' rotation will feature Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante, and Michael McGreevy in some order. That's not an overly competitive rotation. Signing a big-name free-agent starting pitcher, something the Arizona Diamondbacks have done the past two offseasons, would boost the Cardinals' rotation and their playoff odds significantly.

Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks have faced uncertainty surrounding their TV deals. The Diamondbacks, despite taking significant cuts in revenue, have not let that hold them back from improving their roster. On the other hand, the Cardinals and their ownership have taken this as an opportunity to cut payroll and save money.

Oh to be a fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks.