What does "brought to the table" mean?

[NewHopeR]

Context:

Why this abandonment of the only real contribution publishers still brought to the table? I can only guess. Probably it was sheer opportunism: with the Internet slashing printing and distribution costs,publishers were able to increase short-term profits yet further by cuttingeditorial costs—and to good effect, as all four major scientific publishers(Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and Informa) routinely post profitsexceeding a third of all revenue. In the first quarter of 2011, Wiley’sprofit of $106 million on revenue of $253 million represented an astonishing42%.

[Tdol]

What benefit or positive thing they provide.

[NewHopeR]

What benefit or positive thing they provide.

I didn't get you, Tdol.
Does it mean "why the publishers insist this abandonment (of the only real contribution)"?

[Tdol]

Why have publishers abandoned the only positive thing they offered?