Giants CEO Larry Baer Speaks Openly to Fans in Post-Lockout Press Conference

Larry Baer is aware of the impact a strike would have on baseball. He can remark that the 2021 lockout is nothing like the one in 1994/1995 because he has been one of the San Francisco Giants owners since 1993. He had a lot to say to the supporters regarding the matter when management and the players union came to an arrangement to avoid missing any games.

Thankful for the End

Baer’s initial reaction was one of thanks for the dispute’s resolution. He also stated that the Giants were prepared to be aggressive in getting their roster in shape when speaking to the media through Zoom. He also shared his experience of the conversations in detail. “I have to admit that this has personally been a very trying time. It has been challenging on many levels.

Despite his personal ties to the squad, he was unable to communicate with players in numerous ways during the lockout. It’s true that the conclusion of the lockout was good for business, but it was also fantastic for him.

What the Industry Should Focus On

According to Baer, now is a good time for the industry to consider how to increase the sport’s appeal across the nation, particularly among younger fans who may be losing interest in this traditional American activity. Many fans criticized the franchise owners for the lockout in this particular dispute, which might have easily cost games during the season.

The topic of who was making money and how it was managed was also heavily debated. For Larry Baer, his organization paid $100 million to purchase the franchise in 1993. At $3.2 billion, it is currently worth 3,000% more than that.

According to Baer, he views his venture as both a civic asset and a business. He is aware that this team must achieve specific financial goals, but community involvement comes first. His objective is to produce play worthy of championships that everyone would be happy to take part in.

The State of the Fans

Larry Baer claimed in his message that he understood the plight of supporters. He is aware that the crowd may be tired as we work to deal with the pandemic’s aftermath and the Omicron surge. Making sure that no one had the wrong impression was more significant to him. Some people could have believed that management wouldn’t really care if they missed games early in the season when attendance is normally lower.

I can’t speak for all owners, Baer said. Speaking for the Giants, I can. That was a difficult experience. the idea of missing even one game in April, much less several. We never did operate in that mode. We consider our relationship with our fans to be one of nearly fiduciary responsibility and trust. He also addressed the idea that, in the end, the league didn’t need to lock the players out in order to reach an agreement. Although there is some truth to this, it would have been much more likely that baseball would have lost games this season in that situation.

The Florida Marlins will be the opponents of the Giants on April 8 at Oracle Park, with spring training beginning on March 18. While he hasn’t seen the official schedule, Baer suggested that spring training games could still happen. Any games that are rescheduled will be doubleheaders, which can make the season last a little longer.

A universal designated hitter and a draught lottery were included in the agreement that the union and the players struck. This is in addition to a raised minimum wage and a modified luxury tax (which doesn’t affect the Giants). Additionally, the field for the postseason has grown from the previous 10 teams to 12 teams. According to Larry Baer, this expansion will increase the relevance of baseball in more locations on more days of the year.

The Giants in 2023

On December 1, all major league trades came to a halt, signaling the start of the lockout. The Giants were able to sign Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Cobb. But now that everyone is getting back into the groove of things, there is still a lot to do. In the rush to get things up and running again, according to Baer, the strategy at the moment is to be as proactive as you can.