FanGraphs | Craig Edwards: There is a good chance that league-wide payroll will decrease for the second consecutive year, which is unprecedented over the last decade. While payroll went down about 1% overall, it might be as bad as 2.5% when all is said and done. So far, players are earning 15% less than what FanGraphs’ crowd predictions estimated.
Baseball Prospectus | Sung Min Kim ($): The baseball audience in the United States is getting older and more localized, but what about in Korea in the KBO? Quite the opposite. The league has seen a “266 percent attendance increase in 12 years” due to effective and non-condescending marketing to women; affordable prices; and, most importantly, a fun and vibrant atmosphere and fan experience.
The Athletic | Meghan Montemurro and Eno Sarris ($): The Phillies are trying to improve their league-worst defense. The best way was personnel, via jettisoning Carlos Santana and acquiring Jean Segura, and then moving to Rhys Hoskins. Adding Manny Machado, for example, would add another win defensively via positioning. Then there’s strategy, by finding what works and what doesn’t (a lot) with their shifting and positioning.