There has been a pretty fair amount of talk here on the site with regard to finances and ownership as of late and, with the Royals about to begin a series against one of the big money teams, I thought a short 'what if' might be a decent way to start the weekend.

The Red Sox, who at 59-66 are the poster child for money alone does not buy wins, are carrying a payroll of around $170 million this year. The Royals will never, ever have a payroll approaching that level and, according to most reports, will likely not exceed $70 to $75 million anytime in the near future.

What if, however, David Glass let a minority owner into the mix? In the real world, I doubt Glass would ever entertain this option. Still, Glass could sell 20% of the team, maintain complete control, and find himself the beneficiary of $100 million in cash. These are estimated numbers, obviously, maybe $100 million gets you less than 20% or maybe a little more. For now, let's just roll with these numbers for discussion purposes.

The only terms the minority owner has is that his $100 million buy-in goes directly to and only to the major league payroll and only after said payroll reaches $70 million. The cash infusion would not have to be spent all at once, but the gentleman's agreement' is that this $100 million is used within the next five to six years.

Basically, the terms of this fantasy agreement would mean the Kansas City Royals would have a payroll of between $90 and $95 million for the 2013 through 2017 seasons. Are the Royals fixed?