Around Baseball 2019

[Frag]

White Sox out on Harper--basically, it's Giants or Phillies at this point.

 

 

Giants will be crap even if they sign Harper. Phillies become more of a playoff contender if they sign him.

[Brownie19]

White Sox out on Harper--basically, it's Giants or Phillies at this point.

 

 

Holy f***..."don't worry fans - Manny chose SD over us, but have no fear, we're bringing in Marwin, Josh Harrison and Gio"

[jaysfan2014]

Clippard to the Indians on a minors deal ($1.75M if he makes the roster).

 

He was good with Toronto(albeit with HR issues--13 of them)--yet he only gets a minor league deal with Cleveland!

[jaysfan2014]

 

How greedy can you get? Bryce Harper's getting offered $300M+---and he won't take them! Boras must be still trying for $400M... give it up already and swallow your pride!

[glory]

I think it will either be the Phils or Nats for Harper. No one else makes sense.

[Captain Adama]

 

How greedy can you get? Bryce Harper's getting offered $300M+---and he won't take them! Boras must be still trying for $400M... give it up already and swallow your pride!

 

He's a 26 year old free agent with 30 WAR under his belt already. He absolutely deserves more than 300 million and would probably be worth it.

[Abomination]

He's a 26 year old free agent with 30 WAR under his belt already. He absolutely deserves more than 300 million and would probably be worth it.

 

If his defense doesn't improve over what he did last year, he might end up being a $300M DH. That's ... not ideal.

[glory]

Both Machado and Harper breaking $300m is great for baseball. Doesn't solve the league wide issue, but at least shows that elite FA's will still get paid. I'm fine with Harper holding out for more. Let him get his dough.

[Abomination]

Both Machado and Harper breaking $300m is great for baseball. Doesn't solve the league wide issue, but at least shows that elite FA's will still get paid. I'm fine with Harper holding out for more. Let him get his dough.

 

I have no issue with him holding out for more. I do have an issue with the MLBPA trying to say there's a problem with the system because he hasn't signed yet.

[glory]

I have no issue with him holding out for more. I do have an issue with the MLBPA trying to say there's a problem with the system because he hasn't signed yet.

 

Yeah, Tony Clark doesn't realize that the reason players are upset at free agency is because they have to make peanuts for a decade before they finally get to it. Start arbitration after year 2 and increase the minimum to like $1.5-2.0m, and I'm willing to bet free agency will go a lot smoother. There will still be situations like Harper where players hold out for more, but it will be fewer.

[Boxcar]

- pay minor leaguers more. A lot more.

- start ARB much earlier

- max length on contracts with current team having the option to offer additional year.

- cut down years of control

 

I actually really liked Dinger's idea of making years of control completely age based. Would eliminate this whole holding players down for an extra year thing. Make it like, 25, max 5 year contracts.

[Brownie19]

- pay minor leaguers more. A lot more.

- start ARB much earlier

- max length on contracts with current team having the option to offer additional year.

- cut down years of control

 

I actually really liked Dinger's idea of making years of control completely age based. Would eliminate this whole holding players down for an extra year thing. Make it like, 25, max 5 year contracts.

 

Just so I'm clear, the first 4 items there benefit the players. What do the Owners get out of this? Is it the max contract length? I completely agree with the proposal - I'm just concerned the Owners will see it as they are giving up way too much.

[Frag]

I actually really liked Dinger's idea of making years of control completely age based. Would eliminate this whole holding players down for an extra year thing. Make it like, 25, max 5 year contracts.

 

I wonder what effect this would have on the draft. Would teams be less inclined to pick college players, since they are going to be older than high schoolers?

[Boxcar]

Just so I'm clear, the first 4 items there benefit the players. What do the Owners get out of this? Is it the max contract length? I completely agree with the proposal - I'm just concerned the Owners will see it as they are giving up way too much.

 

Yeah I think the contract length would benefit owners.

 

At the end of the day, all owners care about is making money. It's easier to balance around that vs. rule changes, or playing time or service time until eligibility for certain things, etc.

 

Besides, owners have the upper hand as is. They should be getting far less than the players in any negotiation. A strike means they don't make money either.

[Terminator]

I don't think it needs to be that dynamic of an overhaul.

 

Start arb a year earlier, eliminate an extra year of control and rework service time to get rid of the manipulation somehow. They could also increase the floor.

 

How much of this owners are willing to go for I'm not sure though.

[Laika]

I agree with the 6'5" American guy - it doesn't necessarily need to be a dramatic overhaul.

 

I kind of like the idea of turning the Arb 3 year (and Arb 4 for Super 2 players) into a form of Restricted Free Agency like in hockey. Any player in Arb 3 or Arb 4 can be given a one year offer sheet by any other MLB team. If the player accepts the offer sheet, the current club gets a right of first refusal - if they match the $$$ they can retain the player.

 

The effect of that ^ would be more money for the players, obviously. But the owner would still technically have the same duration of control, it would just be less absolute at the tail end.

 

Another idea that I kind of like is a tax during arbitration for surplus service time. I would consider surplus service time to be the years after a whole year. When a team controls a player for seven years after gaming his service time, they end up with something like 6.170 years of service time control over him. I think those hangover days should somehow turn into a tax, payable to the player, on top of their arbitration salary. So sure, you can keep Vlad down three weeks in order to steal a year of free agency from him, but you'll have to pay him a tax on top of his Arb 3 and Arb 4 salaries in order to do that.

 

Depending on how you do the tax calculation, you could actually incentive late-season callups. Say if "surplus service time" of 60 days or less was not taxable - you'd get a lot of August call ups.

 

Edit: I think I am a genius, MLBPA or MLB should hire me

[Slot Machine]

I don't think it needs to be that dynamic of an overhaul.

 

Start arb a year earlier, eliminate an extra year of control and rework service time to get rid of the manipulation somehow. They could also increase the floor.

 

How much of this owners are willing to go for I'm not sure though.

 

I'd also add automatic free agency after a players age 28 season. Right now the system is especially shafting late bloomers. With this change teams still get there control, but the player still hits free agency with 3 or 4 prime years left.

[Carlos Danger]

Clippard to the Indians on a minors deal ($1.75M if he makes the roster).

 

He was good with Toronto(albeit with HR issues--13 of them)--yet he only gets a minor league deal with Cleveland!

 

That is where you and I disagree and probably why we couldnt move him at the deadline. He sucked/sucks!

[Spanky99]

That is where you and I disagree and probably why we couldnt move him at the deadline. He sucked/sucks!

 

There's a lot worst out there.

[Krylian]

There's a lot worst out there.

 

There's a ringing endorsement.

[Spanky99]

There's a ringing endorsement.

 

Well, he was worth half a win, better than most of our staff.

[TheHurl]

The CBA can't mandate anything for the minor league player. It's just not part of their union. And remember the MLB paid millions to lobby to congress to allow them to underpay minor league players (exemption from overtime and spring training). If the minor leagues get their own union MLB would likely drop 1 or 2 affiliates each anyway to offset the additional costs. I think the calculation is $7.5M per year per team to bring minor league players up to minimum wage.

[Laika]

The CBA can't mandate anything for the minor league player. It's just not part of their union. And remember the MLB paid millions to lobby to congress to allow them to underpay minor league players (exemption from overtime and spring training). If the minor leagues get their own union MLB would likely drop 1 or 2 affiliates each anyway to offset the additional costs. I think the calculation is $7.5M per year per team to bring minor league players up to minimum wage.

 

I don't think dropping 2 affiliates per team would have any measurable negative effect on player development tbh.

Modern player development is probably moving the process away from the traditional natural selection process anyway.

[Sorrow]

My thoughts on the amount of FA being left unsigned is the number of teams in the league. Expanding increases your MLB player count by 50 players, half the remaining free agents in theory. It's been twenty two years since the last draft in 1997 and is probably due. Whether it's from thirty teams up to thirty two or thirty four I don't think particularly matters. Moar teams, universal DH 2020 lets go!

[Bobthe4th]

My thoughts on the amount of FA being left unsigned is the number of teams in the league. Expanding increases your MLB player count by 50 players, half the remaining free agents in theory. It's been twenty two years since the last draft in 1997 and is probably due. Whether it's from thirty teams up to thirty two or thirty four I don't think particularly matters. Moar teams, universal DH 2020 lets go!

 

I like it. This could also help increase interest - more variety to opponents, shake up the divisions, new potential rivals etc.

 

I’d then want to expand the playoffs. Division winners plus best runners up get a bye, next best 4 teams play either a one off or best of 3. That’s still only 8 out of 16/17 teams in the playoffs per league. 3 playoff teams plus 2 wildcards would just be too low otherwise, the majority of teams would be tanking. Maybe knock 8-12 games off the regular season too.

[43211234]

Less than 48 hours until Blue Jays baseball returns. And the games this weekend are on Sportsnet.

[Ray]

For those interested, Mariners/A's are playing today.

[Spanky99]

For those interested, Mariners/A's are playing today.

 

I'm ready! Link for the game folks...

 

http://www.worldcupfootball.me/mlb/566071/h

[TBJ12]

I'm ready! Link for the game folks...

 

http://www.worldcupfootball.me/mlb/566071/h

 

All I'm getting is mlb network.

[Spanky99]

All I'm getting is mlb network.

 

PPD... mate. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯