Fangraphs: Tanking, in the MLB

[weams]

What constitutes tanking? If a team makes a move which makes them worse this year but sets them up better for the next five, I believe there are some who consider that a form of tanking.

If the idea is to lose more now to win more later. It's tanking.

[birrman54]

If the idea is to lose more now to win more later. It's tanking.

If it's merely to gain draft position - yes. But surely a 65 win team in July would be smart to trade assets with positive current value for more future value.

[Frobby]

For baseball purposes, I think the only thing I could define as tanking is intentionally fielding a bad team (or making your bad team worse) to garner a high draft pick. Trading good current players for good prospects is not tanking IMO. I just don't think this is much of an issue in baseball.

[weams]

For baseball purposes, I think the only thing I could define as tanking is intentionally fielding a bad team (or making your bad team worse) to garner a high draft pick. Trading good current players for good prospects is not tanking IMO. I just don't think this is much of an issue in baseball.

Agreed.

[weams]

I was thinking of you when I said it. I believe your view is in the minority. Thank goodness. We should be trading Jomar Reyes for someone who can help us this year, under your definition. A team should to all it can to win as much as they can RIGHT NOW.

Thanks for thinking of me. You have me confused with someone else. I'm all for keeping prospects. And fielding the best MLB product you can afford. I believe I am in the majority.

[weams]

If it's merely to gain draft position - yes. But surely a 65 win team in July would be smart to trade assets with positive current value for more future value.

I agree. Several teams that are good now spent under 70 million a year for multiple seasons just to gain that.

[Stotle]

They die a natural death if you don't eat them.

You flushed your metaphor.

[OFFNY]

A comp pick is eating a chicken with no name. The prospect is eating the one named Josh.

Dewey Bunnell would like this post.

[OFFNY]

o

MLB Owners Take a Look at Issues Involved with Tanking

(By Buster Douglas Olney)

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14696106/mlb-owners-started-discussing-merits-tanking-their-annual-meeting

[weams]

You flushed your metaphor.

I did.

[Number5]

[weams]

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post?id=12254

. “I understand that my guy isn’t what he once was, but nothing? Not even a chance to come in and impress and beat out other guys for a job in camp? I just don’t get it,” one agent said. Several executives and agents believe that tanking could be part of the issue, as teams looking for a higher draft pick in 2017 have little need for a veteran who could provide a win or two. Other factors include an under-valuing of experience, and a greater reliance on both young players and trades to fill out a roster.

[hoosiers]

I thought it was pretty well documented that experienced FAs is among the most expensive talent acquisitions avenues available to clubs.

Yet here is an article complaining about teams getting smarter and, somehow, the article decides that Exhibit Number Two of teams not spending good coin on free agents is Jeff Franceour and his .258 batting average and 13 HRs? Seriously? I mean, it must be collusion if there aren't five teams clamoring to give him a multi-year deal at $15M per season, right?

If you ask me, and no one did, it just might appear that the market is correcting itself appropriately.

[Frobby]

I thought it was pretty well documented that experienced FAs is among the most expensive talent acquisitions avenues available to clubs.

Yet here is an article complaining about teams getting smarter and, somehow, the article decides that Exhibit Number Two of teams not spending good coin on free agents is Jeff Franceour and his .258 batting average and 13 HRs? Seriously? I mean, it must be collusion if there aren't five teams clamoring to give him a multi-year deal at $15M per season, right?

If you ask me, and no one did, it just might appear that the market is correcting itself appropriately.

Makes sense to me, too.

[Frobby]

Interesting article here in which Scott Boras claims he told the Nationals they should tank back in the winter of 2008-09 when they were pursuing Tex:

Shortly into his tenure as the Managing Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals, Ted Lerner shared a conversation with agent Scott Boras. Lerner wanted information about free agents Boras represented, particularly first baseman Mark Teixeira, who loomed in a class to come. Their discussion both surprised Lerner and changed the course of his franchise. "I wanted to give advice that was relevant to having a good team," Boras recalled.

Boras suggested Lerner consider a different approach than adding talent. First of all, Teixeira wanted to win and wouldn't play for a rebuilding team like the Nationals. Second of all, Boras told Lerner, the Nationals had so little talent that even top-tier free agents wouldn't change their lot. To get better, they would first have to get worse.

"That kind of started a process," Boras said. "I told him, 'Your objective is, you got to get the top picks, because the top picks that are coming are extraordinary. I would not follow that plan [adding through free agency], because you have too many holes and you don't have a minor league system. If you really want to do what's best for your franchise, I would focus on how I'm going to get those draft picks. When I look at this system, I wouldn't be spending a great deal of money on major league players.'"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/02/22/that-time-scott-boras-told-ted-lerner-the-nationals-should-tank/