MLB Strike Is Near?

[OFFNY]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

 

Yes, they are keeping them in the Minors for so long the average age in the NL is the youngest ever.

 

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[TheOtherRipken]

47 minutes ago, Sessh said:

Agree. This is another reason why expanding the playoffs might make the regular season better. It's not so much for the top seeds, but more for the teams battling it out for the two wild card spots in each league. There are 30 teams in baseball and 10 make the postseason, so that's 2/3rds of the league that won't make it and many of those teams won't have a chance at all. So, the question at that point is why try at all? If you know you have no chance, then you're already thinking about things like your position in next year's draft before May is over.

People may feel that expanding the playoffs makes the first round pointless, but I don't see it that way. Sometimes, teams surprise you and there are upsets or much more entertaining series' than was anticipated. How much of this "pointless" stuff are you willing to accept to make the regular season more competitive in the middle and lower middle of the league? You have to give them some kind of incentive to try to compete other than "Hey! Stop doing that!"

I dunno, maybe I'm biased. I see some things in the NHL system that I wish we could do more of in baseball. Salary cap being one. I think the NHL has raised their salary cap two straight seasons now.

I think baseball for years has needed both a salary cap and a salary floor but doubt the owners or players will ever agree.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

3 hours ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Baseball's salary problem is that young players under team control are not getting paid enough while older players are getting compensated for the production they put up under those rookie deals.

The issue with this of course is that it's really really hard for a union to convince it's current members that the best thing for them to do is threaten their livelihood for the benefit of the next generation.  Unions tend to sell out the next generation (I work in state government).

For me the answer to this involves some sort of shift in peak salaries toward younger years with a give to the current union members in the form of pension benefits.  There is enough mo ey in baseball that this shouldnt ve a problem and most of it is shifting the piece of the pie given to the players so it wouldnt affect the owners take much in a vacuum, independent of other factors beyond just salary that affect the pie. (That said I think the owners get too much of the pie).

 

Yes, I think you have nailed the crux of the issue and what needs to happen. Now let's see how long baseball takes to figure this out. 

[Sessh]

30 minutes ago, TheOtherRipken said:

I think baseball for years has needed both a salary cap and a salary floor but doubt the owners or players will ever agree.

The ability to trade draft picks could also help. Dealing with this epidemic of tanking is complex, but being able to trade guys like Machado and Britton for high draft picks would lessen the need for tanking and would probably shorten rebuilds. I know the NHL allows this, but I don't keep up with the NFL or NBA. They do too, right?

[TheOtherRipken]

7 minutes ago, Sessh said:

The ability to trade draft picks could also help. Dealing with this epidemic of tanking is complex, but being able to trade guys like Machado and Britton for high draft picks would lessen the need for tanking and would probably shorten rebuilds. I know the NHL allows this, but I don't keep up with the NFL or NBA. They do too, right?

NFL for sure allows trading of picks, not sure on NBA though. Granted mlb draft is a bit different but I tend to agree.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

4 minutes ago, TheOtherRipken said:

NFL for sure allows trading of picks, not sure on NBA though. Granted mlb draft is a bit different but I tend to agree.

You've obviously never watched the NBA draft. 

Draft picks are often traded within seconds after they have been selected. NBA probably trades draft picks the most out of any major sport.  

[Camden_yardbird]

2 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

You've obviously never watched the NBA draft. 

Draft picks are often traded within seconds after they have been selected. NBA probably trades draft picks the most out of any major sport.  

Also the actual draft slots are frequently traded in the NBA, which is the more analogous situation.  

For instance, the Clippers just traded 5 first round picks and two players for Paul George.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Just now, Camden_yardbird said:

Also the actual draft slots are frequently traded in the NBA, which is the more analogous situation.  

For instance, the Clippers just traded 5 first round picks and two players for Paul George.

Yes, that too. The only thing that holds back an NBA trade is the player being traded saying no or the salary cap. Otherwise not any real restrictions.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Also the actual draft slots are frequently traded in the NBA, which is the more analogous situation.  

For instance, the Clippers just traded 5 first round picks and two players for Paul George.

Not only that but you can put restrictions on the pick, like if it falls in the top 5 you get the next year's pick instead.

[AZRon]

 

2 hours ago, orioles22 said:

The biggest problem, to me, is too many teams have no chance. I think the answer is a salary cap like the NFL to stop with this large-market and small-market insanity.

1 hour ago, TheOtherRipken said:

I think baseball for years has needed both a salary cap and a salary floor but doubt the owners or players will ever agree.

Here's my solution to the "competitive balance" issue:

Universal and equal MLB minimum and maximum team payrolls.

Institution of an international "amateur" player draft with rules patterned after the Rule 4 player draft.

For domestic amateur and all international players, all "academies", scouting and evaluation data managed by the MLB with data and reports distributed to teams equally.

Unionization of minor league players with the requirement that MLB negotiate with the union in good faith.

Maintain existing revenue sharing and competitive balance draft pick awards (perhaps, with adjustments).
==============================================================================

Payroll computation includes all players on the 40-man roster (with daily substitution allowance for those players on the 60 day IL). Payroll includes all salaries, bonuses, "incentives" and deferrals. These limits apply from from day 1 of the regular season through the completion of the World Series.

Violation would require current season forfeiture,ineligibilty for the Rule 5 draft and in the following year, the loss of first 10 picks in the Rule 4 draft and zero $ for the international signing pool allocation.

[Oriole1940]

Answer to question as to WHY TRY AT ALL is several reasons.  Pride in your work, Honesty to your employer, and Dignity as a Human Being.  My goodness you are getting paid big bucks to Play a childs  game. Surely you should be expected to give it your Best even if your Best is not equal to some other peoples Best.  

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Oriole1940 said:

Answer to question as to WHY TRY AT ALL is several reasons.  Pride in your work, Honesty to your employer, and Dignity as a Human Being.  My goodness you are getting paid big bucks to Play a childs  game. Surely you should be expected to give it your Best even if your Best is not equal to some other peoples Best.  

That should be true of every employee in every field.

Yet I know a lot of folks that take pride in how little work they do.  Some even brag about what they manage to steal.

[Maverick Hiker]

8 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Yes, they are keeping them in the minors for so long the average age in the NL is the youngest ever.

Yeah that's a contradiction. . The platers say the owners are keeping  certain players  in the minors and thus keep him from being a free agent and leaving the team, for another year.  But if the teams are doing  on a wide scale, that then why are the MLB players getting younger?

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Maverick Hiker said:

Yeah that's a contradiction. . The platers say the owners are keeping  certain players  in the minors and thus keep him from being a free agent and leaving the team, for another year.  But if the teams are doing  on a wide scale, that then why are the MLB players getting younger?

I think what they were trying to say is more players are having their service time manipulated for the extra year of team control.  Not sure if it is actually happening at a higher rate over say 10 years ago.  Tatis  started the year in the majors for instance.

[99ct]

9 hours ago, osfan83 said:

But limiting the performance of 30+ year olds actually helps smaller payroll teams. Now having the ability to overpay for a 32 year old slugger has no value. If we hold peak performance to 27, then most of the players value is when teams have control before free agency. I don't want to go back to a time when the Yanks and Sox can buy every 32 year old All Star, and those players perform at peak level until they are 37. 

Interesting take, but my counterpoint is this: players being good until ~37 means more “supply” of good players, and thus a better chance at competing. Back in the early 2000s, the yanks were dumping prospects left and right