Salary Cap

[clevis]

I started another thread, but I can't get anyone to bite on these questions (too busy complaining):

-Is there really any possibility of a salary cap?

-How did it come to be that a salary cap was instated in other professional sports?

-They say that the MLBPA is the strongest union in sports, does that equate to no hope of a salary cap?

-And what about the luxury tax as a "soft" cap? The Yanks pay around $27 million this year (one of two teams, they pay that much because this is the fourth year in a row that they're in luxury tax territory). Will this EVER catch up to the Yankees?

-If there was to be a salary cap, what is a REALISTIC time frame for how long it would be in order for it to take effect?

I apologize for starting another thread, I'm just trying to start a new conversation with questions that I genuinely don't know the answers to and are not Tex-related.

[utvolzac]

I started another thread, but I can't get anyone to bite on these questions (too busy complaining):

-Is there really any possibility of a salary cap?

-How did it come to be that a salary cap was instated in other professional sports?

-They say that the MLBPA is the strongest union in sports, does that equate to no hope of a salary cap?

-And what about the luxury tax as a "soft" cap? The Yanks pay around $27 million this year (one of two teams, they pay that much because this is the fourth year in a row that they're in luxury tax territory). Will this EVER catch up to the Yankees?

-If there was to be a salary cap, what is a REALISTIC time frame for how long it would be in order for it to take effect?

I apologize for starting another thread, I'm just trying to start a new conversation with questions that I genuinely don't know the answers to and are not Tex-related.

If it happens, the NHL is the most realistic model, IMO. There are similarities.

The NHL had a strong players union and the same big money teams were the only teams signing elite free agents.

For a salary cap in baseball, the owners would have to have a lock out. And for baseball, that would most likely be a long lock out since the union is so strong.

The only good thing in this scenario as opposed to the NHL, is that NHL players were able to make a good living playing in Europe during the lock out. Baseball players could play in Japan, but they wouldn't be making anything close to what they'd make in the MLB.

Once the cap would be in place, you'd have to come to some sort of buyout for current contracts so that teams that are over the cap could cut salary. In the case of the Yankees, they would be completely screwed and would most likely be giving away all-stars just to make the cut.

Unlike Football and Basketball, MLB has a pretty complex farm system to work out as well. However, the NHL also has a multi-tiered farm system and they have made it work.

I would like to see it, and the blue print is there, I think in this day and age a salary cap and competitive balance make the game better. The NFL is great because anyone can win from year to year.

[getxstoked]

Lockouts are not the answer, unless the owners want to drive more fans away from baseball...and there will never be a salary cap in baseball, because baseball operates as free-marketish economy, if you've got money, you can spend it, if you don't, you better find ways to make it, otherwise you get to be the Pirates.

And seriously, if the O's had signed Tex, still had Miggy, had signed Vlad, and were paying BRob and the others, would you be in favor of a salary cap? I think not...you just want it because you're upset that the Yankees have more money than everyone else, they've figured out ways to make it work, so let them.

Find yourself a new dead horse to beat, that would be awesome.

[Mad Mark]

MLBs problem is distribution of revenues. Solve that, and the salary problem solves itself.

[Jagwar]

The issue for the Players Union is that a salary cap limits the amount of money their members can make. IMO the solution is to institute a cap along with a salary floor. Teams can only spend X, but they must spend at least Y.

Based on http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/salaries, the combined payroll in MLB is about $2.7 billion, which works out to about $90 million per team. What cap/floor combo would provide a more even playing field, but also placate the players union's concerns over salary growth?

Cap of $140 million, Floor of $70 million?

[Jagwar]

MLBs problem is distribution of revenues. Solve that, and the salary problem solves itself.

+1. Exactly right. No way a cap works unless revenues are divided more evenly.

One immediate problem with this... are the Yankees going to agree to share profits from their massive cable contract with YES with someone like the Royals?

[clevis]

Lockouts are not the answer, unless the owners want to drive more fans away from baseball...and there will never be a salary cap in baseball, because baseball operates as free-marketish economy, if you've got money, you can spend it, if you don't, you better find ways to make it, otherwise you get to be the Pirates.

And seriously, if the O's had signed Tex, still had Miggy, had signed Vlad, and were paying BRob and the others, would you be in favor of a salary cap? I think not...you just want it because you're upset that the Yankees have more money than everyone else, they've figured out ways to make it work, so let them.

Find yourself a new dead horse to beat, that would be awesome.

Wow, way to go buddy! Thanks for over-reacting! I wasn't complaining about the Yankees having more money I just thought this an opportunity to discuss salary cap. It's NOT a dead horse to me, because I honestly wonder if it would make baseball a better game. It seems like it has worked out for the other professional sports and I trying to find others insight on the situation. My original post wasn't necessarily a pro-salary-cap position, I'm just curious (so please don't tell me what I "want" and why I want it). The part about the Yankees was regarding the luxury tax and I was questioning the effectiveness of it.

Don't say that MLB operates in a "free-marketish" economy because really, how is this any different from how the other major sports were before they went to a salary cap? Perhaps there is a difference, honestly, I don't know, that's why I'm asking these questions. Get it?

Also, I believe you bring up a good point. Say you do become the Pirates, then what do you do? Great stadium, crappy team. Is it MLB's responsibility to get this organization off the ground (with salary cap or redistribution of profit)? Or rather, should they let them die out? I don't know.

I'm not complaining that the Yankees have more money than everyone else, it just seems that if MLB is truly looking for parity (which is good for everybody), there need to be some changes (salary cap or no).

So you'll have to excuse my dead horse, I guess I haven't yet figured out that it is dead. And please, feel free to share your opinion, but don't tell me what my opinion is, that would be awesome.