Why are MLB managers paid so low compared to NFL/NBA head coaches?

[chaerulez]

With the whole Torre thing I was kind of surprised to find out he was the highest paid manager in the game at 7+ million a year. The next highest is Pinella at 3.5 million a year. I think when Baker was with the Cubs he was making 4-5 a year. Compared to the NFL and NBA, the numbers seem kind of low. Lovie will be making 4+ million a year with his new deal, and he only has a few years of head coaching experience. Pinella has been a manager for nearly 20 years. Steve Spurrier was making 5 million a year a few years back for the Redskins. I think Holmgren is the leader at 7-8 million a year. Generally the top NFL coaches (Gruden, Parcells, Dungy) make at least 4-5 million a year. A handful of NFL coaches making more than the 2nd highest paid MLB manager.

Same goes for the NBA. Phil Jackson I think makes around 9 million a year. Skiles is making around 3-4 million a year. Larry Brown signed that lucrative deal that was to pay him 10 million a year for 5 years before he got fired. Even a few years ago the Lakers offered Coach K, around 8 million a year. Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, Jerry Solan, Rick Adleman... all made at least 5 million a year in the last few years. Is it because MLB doesn't have to compete with salaries with college sports? A lot of these big deals seem to be pro teams trying to lure away college coaches. Billy Donovan got a 5 million a year offer from the Magic before he changed his mind. For some reason it just seems like MLB managers would make more. It's kind of shocking that someone like Ozzie only makes a little over a million. If this were the NFL or NBA and he won a title, his next contract would be at least 4-5 million a year.

[cburns]

In basketball and football, coaches/managers have a bigger impact on how the game is decided than in baseball.

[Railsplitter]

NFL salary caps don't included coaches. I'm not sure about the NBA.

[Iwritecode]

Just a guess but maybe it's because baseball owners simply have more people to pay? The NBA and NFL don't have minor league players to worry about like MLB does.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Maybe it's also because baseball managers and coaches really only have one job: playing cards in the clubhouse.

[TDog]

Baseball has a now-dormant tradition of player managers. Early in the history of professional baseball, many teams didn't play managers anything. They had a top player make up the lineups and make on the field decisions. Teams have gone back to player-managers when times have been hard. Lou Boudreau started managing the Cleveland Indians at the age of 24. He was the team's regular shortstop and played in every game that season.

Baseball is the most individual of team sports. Nine players have to wait their turn to be in control of the offense. Defense is reactionary but begins in the hands of the offense.

Unlike football and basketball, baseball teams don't have practices where they work on plays, especially between regular season games. They may work on fundamentals like bunting and hitting the other way. On defense they may work on the 3-6-3 doubleplay. But workouts mostly consist of batting practice, taking ground ball and shagging flies.

Occasionally a baseball manager will come up with plays. Lou Piniella had the bases loaded and one out in Seattle in Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox and (later said) he knew he had the game won if he sent Carlos Guillen to hit for Joe Oliver to bunt the pitch toward Frank Thomas at first. But that was in reaction to his team loading the bases without hitting the ball out of the infield, led by John Olerud getting to second base by hitting a line drive off Kelly Wunsch. He didn't draw up a line drive off the pitcher, just as he didn't draw up Edgar Martinez and Olerud homering off of Keith Foulke in the 10th inning of Game 1.