With MLBTR’s traffic and revenue down significantly, we’ve introduced an ad-free subscription option for those with the means and desire to support the site directly. To provide 15+ new posts every single day on the latest hot stove news, we’ve got seven employees plus significant hosting and development costs.
If you’re a longtime reader and can comfortably spare $29.99 per year, we’d appreciate your consideration. Click here to check out all the benefits of subscribing. We’ll be adding more in the near future!
Glad to support after years of being on here!
Though your username brings back painful memories of disappointment, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
Also, subscribe if you can afford it. The amount of free content I’ve soaked up here over the last 15 years or so more than justifies the price.
Traffic being down might be due to people sick of the bantering between MLB and MLBPA. I for one am disgusted with it. 60 games is laughable. I’m a 30 year fan but not happy with how this COVID19 scare has “played” out…
I always bring this up… So 1981 was laughable?
I’ve been a fan for the better part of sixty years. At the time, no one thought 1981 was laughable. Unfair, yes, but not laughable. This is much more fair than 1981.
Halo I still dont get your point….We dodger fans dont celebrate 81…. we fully know what it was (Lasordas saving grace) and nothing more
I did not like 1981 with the half seasons. While I’m perfectly happy with the not-the-yankees winning, that’s really about the only good thing. If they play this season and the not-the-yankees win, that will be about the only good thing out of it.
“We dodger fans dont celebrate 81.”
I bet there are millions of Dodgers fans who disagree with you.
“not-the-yankees winning” – haha that’s a good one
Great stuff Tim! Happy to support one of the best sites in the biz
I got my comment removed, I’m not the least bit offended.
Love your site. More than willing to support it to ensure it will be around for a long time.
Tim, I love your site, and I’m on it almost daily. I’d like to support MLBTR, and while your subscription rate of $30 (= Can$42) is eminently reasonable, as a cheapskate pensioner, I am reluctant to pay for services I’ll never use – ie your NHL, NFL, NBA sister sites.
Have you considered a lesser fee for MLB only ?? In fact, I’d be happy to pay (say) $15US as a “friend of the site”, without any of the additional services.
Sorry, I’m not trying to complicate matters – And to be honest, I’ll probably cave in, overcome by guilt, and pay the full price anyway, if there is no less expensive option.
Thanks to you and all your great writers – You’re my go-to for all my baseball news, particularly in the interminable off-season.
a canadian that doesn’t want hockey news.–rare
a canadian stretching a dollar–much less rare
(said in good fun & not to offend)
Hahaha – Funny, but true …
(The Expos stole my heart in ’69; No love left for hockey !!)
same here
As Tim explained in an earlier thread, the $30 IS for mlbtr. The other sites are thrown in as a benefit, really. MLB remains the primary driving force of the whole operation. As circumstances evolve and the initial response is collected to this first subscription, I’d think it’s likely we see alternate tiers and respective price points. For now, this is what they felt was best. Obviously, though, $30 means very different things to different people right now, so it’s understandable to be curious about a cheaper alternative.
Cheers
I still say the best solution to this is to let people pay $29 for MLB or $30 for all of it.
“alternate tiers and respective price points.” That’s what I say. (And/or a tip jar maybe?)
If the NFL/NBA/NHL parts of these services cost $ to staff, host, maintain etc., .and they don’t really carry their weight, maybe they should go on hiatus? Maybe they haven’t been additive to the bottom line? Maybe they were a bridge-too-far to begin with…?
When conditions (temporary or otherwise) require it, lots of businesses have to suspend parts of their least profitable/unprofitable segments – especially if/when they become a drag on the viability of the primary enterprise. Of course, I don’t know if that’s the case here, but I am curious about it.
I’d like to see the “benefits” unbundled. I’m ok with paying for ad-free content, but the rest of the benefits do not rally excite me at all.
$10 annually to go ad free? I’m in. No idea if I see $10 worth of ads annually.
In any event, it would be nice to see some cafeteria style options, not a one-size-fits-all solution.
My two cents.
Hey there. We can’t really unbundle and charge less. I expect the bulk of subscribers are mostly using MLBTR, so the price reflects that. As we add benefits they will initially be MLB-centric.
Thanks for reading, and if you’re not in a position to put out $30/year, or the value doesn’t quite work for you, we wouldn’t encourage you to spend it.
Hey Tim, love the site and am all for the payment plan. Unfortunatly for me it is not viable at this time in another 2 years once my OAS comes in that changes everything, but my disabilty payment is stretched to the limit right now. Keep up the good work, i will be looking forward to the day i can actually afford the payment! Again keep up the good work!!!!
The ad free is honestly worth the 30 a year 100%, but I’m generally frugal and take time to think before spending.
I would only need it on my phone and tablet, where I use the app. I accidentally click on those ads all the time, but that just supports the site in a different way.
I agree. Just got the subscription and after changing my password, I signed in on my phone just to get rid of those adds.
I know Tim does earn ad revenue, but I think he totally glosses over the advantage of an ad free subscription. My 2 cents.
I immediately toggle off hoops/hockey/football rumors on my app. I agree with the above statement.
just watch the ads for free
Hey guys- love the news. I’m sure you must have thought about it, but just in case: have you contacted MLB (or other sporting agencies) and offer some type of partnership? Mlb removed their team chat boards ages ago and probably could use a strong partner when it comes to team news and team specific message boards.
You all do great- keep up the good work.
Nick aka nac
Spending $30 for MLBTR’s service is a laughably great deal. If I gave you all a nickel every time you put up something that taught me something, or made me think of an exciting possible deal, or just kept me up to date, you’d have way more than 600 nickels. So here’s 600 nickels.
Here’s an idea. Since badges are thing with this, how about a tip jar that acknowledges who chips in and who doesn’t – with no perks asked for or expected. Use actual dollar signs – one $ for a donation of $10 or more, $$ for $20 or more, and the existing badge (and it’s perks) for $30 or more.
While a tip jar is a good idea, those $ seem like a perk. “Look at me and my $$$$$!”
And what if someone donates $400? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
That was my point actually. You could say the same thing about the inclusion of those Badges, couldn’t you – I mean, why else are they being displayed other than “look at me, as a perk”? Maybe something other than the dollar signs would be better. Anyway, if the site is struggling to pay it’s discreet MLBTR expenses (due to temporary circumstances), I’d chip in $10, as a thank you. (Notwithstanding the fact that I’ve clicked occasionally on banner ads here, which even led to a purchase from time to time. It’s a clean site, and so far, those banners and boxes don’t bother me in the least.)
But hey, may I humbly suggest to anyone who can afford to make a $400 donation, that maybe they find a worthwhile charity to give that cash to 🙂 instead of a privately-owned for-profit small business. I’ve always assumed, up till now, that MLBTR was a successful stand-alone enterprise – otherwise I can’t see how it’s lasted all these years. And it seemed to me that Tim Dierkes came up with, and successfully executed, a brilliant entrepreneurial first-mover’s idea. An idea that made him a decent living(?), while allowing him to pursue a passion.
Cheers!
I would encourage something more Patreon-esque, with different tiers (“$5 monthly gets you x, $15 gets you y, etc”). I know maaaany of us can’t afford an extra $30 right now, and like reflected above, there’s many who only use one of the sites
I read MLBTR every day of the year and am very pleased to be able to support it directly.
OK, I’m in.
You guys have definitely earned this.
Although (and as others have already mentioned), I think you’d gain more subscribers – not to mention double your income – if you moved to $5 monthly from a $30 annual model.
In any case, please keep up the good work!
Or just offer both options as a ton of other sites do.
People see ads on these websites? Weird.
Yea, I’m confused too.
I’ll put it on the agenda for the next meeting of the board of directors. After 34 years of a happy marriage I’ve learned to get prior approval for all expenditures.
MLBTR is my homepage. Happy to support.
No ads?! How am I supposed to know what to buy?
I appreciate the quality work you guys do and am happy to be able to give back directly! Here’s hoping things turn around as the season gets started back up.
As an American, I’d be confused by a lack of ads bombarding me
Just became a member. MLBTR.com is my “go to” every day. Happy to support. Thx!
Thank you for this site. I have signed up.
Now start writing things i like or i’m cancelling my subscription!
Happy to pay $30 to not have to see the ads for “manscaping.”
at $2.50 a month, well worth it to support the site
This is by far the best all around coverage you can find on baseball and the football site is also very informative. Well done!
Longtime reader of site . Glad to be an official supporter now
Does this take the annoying ads on the MLB TR iOS app as well?
I fully intend to sign up soon! One request… Can the app please please please add a feature to open links in an external browser? It makes it so much easier to open articles from The Athletic/Twitter/etc.
Either way, looking forward to joining the club soon.
Signed, sealed, delivered! Happy to support this site. You guys have been providing valuable information to me for years. Thank you and please keep it up!
I subscribe to half a dozen sites and this one is my favorite.
Well I just subscribed and when I sign in I don’t see anything different. If anyone can tell me how to find the “benefits” it would be greatly appreciated. I know the problem is on my end but I need some help. Thanks !!!!
Thanks for subscribing!
If you’re logged in, the ads should disappear. Let me know if that doesn’t happen.
Otherwise, everything will happen on a weekly basis via email. So next week you’ll get emails about the exclusive chat and articles.
So if I understand right I will see no “benefits” on the website when I sign in daily ? I will only see the “benefits” via emails ? Thanks again
Long-time reader for about 4 years. This is so helpful for fantasy league. The articles are so well written that I’ve bookmarked and reread them a bunch over time. Thank you for all the work you all do, I’m happy to subscribe .