So my question is twofold
1. First, why isn't Matt Arnold signed too an extension already?
2. Why aren't high quality GM's paid more than they seem to be?
It was hard to find clear numbers for MLB GM's compared to say managers or players. That said, i couldn't find anything showing a GM making even just 10 million per. The highest paid GM that i could find was Andrew Friedman when he signed a 7ry/35 million dollar deal with the Dodgers. In the grand scheme baseball economics, that strikes me as pocket change for easily the most important person in a team's organization, so long as that person is given the power to run his organization without to much interference.
A GM who is given a budget and largely told have at it, he won't just choose players to sign/cut loose, they help build the whole front office staff working underneath him. Who oversees the draft. Those who are highest in charge of scouting very young Latin players. How well he gets along with companions at work to where a GM is willing to take input on decisions. A quality GM like that who wins and builds a strong overall organization, that seems easily worth at least 10 million per.to me.
That brings me to Matt Arnold who is in the last year of his contract if what i read is correct. I won't claim to know if Arnold has aspirations beyond the small market Brewers, similar to David Stearns leaving for the Mets. If that ends up being the case, i'd say thanks and wish him well so long as it wasn't with say the Cardinals. That said, if Arnold was open to staying, but were to leave with contract issues being a sizable factor as to why, i will be irritated given what GM's are paid.
This current Brewers organization is humming along on so many levels and Matt Arnold deserves a bunch of credit as to why. I'd really hate to see him leave over maybe 3-5 million per, peanuts in the overall team revenues from year to year.