MLB Thread 2019

[Timberridge]

Boston Red Sox to the courtesy phone.
Paging the Boston Red Sox...

[BmillsSkier]

The questions you have for 15-20 years from now are not new questions, people were asking the same questions about what will happen to baseball in "15-20 years" some 15 to 20 years ago.

Did we get the answers? I think I was absent that day.

I guess I’m really wondering if we will hit a point where a certain dollar amount is deemed too much and ownership moves for a salary cap.

[ex-powderbroker]

Did we get the answers? I think I was absent that day.

I guess I’m really wondering if we will hit a point where a certain dollar amount is deemed too much and ownership moves for a salary cap.

the luxury tax has created a big drag on salaries, the average has not improved adjusted to inflation since 1991. Anyway, the tax and a hard cap just do the same thing, which is make the owners richer. It'd be nice if the bottom feeder teams even spent the luxury tax money though. The Players Union is getting crushed over the last decade.

[dunfree]

I guess I’m really wondering if we will hit a point where a certain dollar amount is deemed too much and ownership moves for a salary cap.

Cba expires after 2021 season, we’ll find out soon enough. While I don’t think they like paying that much money, they like having highly paid stars to market and talk about all season long

[Supermoon]

the luxury tax has created a big drag on salaries, the average has not improved adjusted to inflation since 1991. Anyway, the tax and a hard cap just do the same thing, which is make the owners richer. It'd be nice if the bottom feeder teams even spent the luxury tax money though. The Players Union is getting crushed over the last decade.

Yeah, there needs to be some parity created somehow between the markets. That's why the NFL is better than MLB and NBA for small market teams. There's a hard cap, but you also have to spend most of that cap I believe. Forcing the Royals of the world to pay for players makes the whole league better and raises the average salary of players.

[Danno]

Yeah, there needs to be some parity created somehow between the markets. That's why the NFL is better than MLB and NBA for small market teams. There's a hard cap, but you also have to spend most of that cap I believe. Forcing the Royals of the world to pay for players makes the whole league better and raises the average salary of players.

Except a salary cap would have unintended consequences, unless the owners agree to massive revenue sharing. Because while it might make the Royals pay players more, and the Yankees pay players less, the overall revenue isn't shared to the same extent as it is in the other sports (at least I don't think it is). So a salary cap might level the playing field (pun intended), but it would also make the owners of the big market teams even richer, because they couldn't spend more on their team.

[dunfree]

Yeah, there needs to be some parity created somehow between the markets. That's why the NFL is better than MLB and NBA for small market teams. There's a hard cap, but you also have to spend most of that cap I believe. Forcing the Royals of the world to pay for players makes the whole league better and raises the average salary of players.

royals were in back to back series and won one. How much better could they get? The players union would love wage inflation, not seeing much advantage to the fans.

[Supermoon]

royals were in back to back series and won one. How much better could they get?

Sure, but then they sold off their whole team and a couple years later are back to being one of the worst teams in baseball while not even sniffing the luxury tax.

[dunfree]

Sure, but then they sold off their whole team and a couple years later are back to being one of the worst teams in baseball while not even sniffing the luxury tax.

the redskins suck every year in the nfl And bottom of the nfl games are unwatchable garbage.

money doesn’t mandate competence or giving a fuck. The problem is - there just aren’t 5hat many players worth spending money on. Baseball & football just don’t have enough talent depth.

[ex-powderbroker]

is there still a perception of parity problems in mlb? we’ve seen the hard luck cubs, nats, astros, and royals all win in the last ten years. some teams don’t spend (payouts to marlins exceeded their budget on a couple of occasions iirc), but it’s not like the yanks, dodgers, mets or boston win every year.

and while cole might make the yanks favorites, if he pulls up lame in year 3 i don’t see how that contract added to stanton won’t cripple them.

[Benny Profane]

Hey, waitaminute. I didn't hear everyone whining about long term zillion dollar contracts last year when the Yankees didn't sign anybody

[Danno]

is there still a perception of parity problems in mlb? we’ve seen the hard luck cubs, nats, astros, and royals all win in the last ten years. some teams don’t spend (payouts to marlins exceeded their budget on a couple of occasions iirc), but it’s not like the yanks, dodgers, mets or boston win every year.

and while cole might make the yanks favorites, if he pulls up lame in year 3 i don’t see how that contract added to stanton won’t cripple them.

did you just include the Cubs and Astros in a list of supposed "small market teams"? Even the Nats don't belong in that list.

[Supermoon]

Those teams fall on the opposite end IMO. Huge payrolls that were horribly mismanaged until they finally clicked for one or two seasons.

My beef is owners pocketing huge profits while not even trying to be competitive. That seems to have been a trend the last couple of years. The Rays are another offender.

[Danno]

Those teams fall on the opposite end IMO. Huge payrolls that were horribly mismanaged until they finally clicked for one or two seasons.

My beef is owners pocketing huge profits while not even trying to be competitive. That seems to have been a trend the last couple of years. The Rays are another offender.

Your sentence appears to say the Rays are a team "pocketing huge profits while not even trying to be competitive". Um, what? The Rays are a low revenue small market team that somehow has made the playoffs 4 times in the last 10 years, and topped 90 wins 6 times in the last 10 years, averaging 86 wins per year.

[ex-powderbroker]

did you just include the Cubs and Astros in a list of supposed "small market teams"? Even the Nats don't belong in that list.

I'm saying that championships are spread out at a cursory glance with no team dominating. I think that if you looked at division winners it would look fairly similar, and probably better than other leagues like the NFL with strong caps.

If baseball has a problem with a lack of talent like Dunfree suggested, contract the useless teams, and make sure the minors are robust enough to get people in the bigs that deserve it.

The new playoff system sucks too.

Maybe Supermoon meant the useless Marlins... (who have won twice in the past 25 years but then sell everything off and keep the change)...

[Timberridge]

and while cole might make the yanks favorites, if he pulls up lame in year 3 i don’t see how that contract added to stanton won’t cripple them.

They'll just increase the beer prices.

[Supermoon]

Your sentence appears to say the Rays are a team "pocketing huge profits while not even trying to be competitive". Um, what? The Rays are a low revenue small market team that somehow has made the playoffs 4 times in the last 10 years, and topped 90 wins 6 times in the last 10 years, averaging 86 wins per year.

Rays total payroll was only something like $60mil last year. Sure they were pretty competitive, but that money they don't spend on players goes to the owners. You don't think even the worst teams in pro sports don't turn handsome profits every year?

Maybe Supermoon meant the useless Marlins... (who have won twice in the past 25 years but then sell everything off and keep the change)...

Them too.

The argument isn't whether or not you have to spend money to win. You can be semi-competitive and not break the bank, but the majority of teams that compete year in year out are not the $60 mil. teams. It's the $200 mil teams.

A's, Royals, Marlins, Rays, etc, they may compete for a year or two, but won't spend the money to keep the team together in order to stay competitive. The owners cash out and move on.

[ex-powderbroker]

Rays total payroll was only something like $60mil last year. Sure they were pretty competitive, but that money they don't spend on players goes to the owners. You don't think even the worst teams in pro sports don't turn handsome profits every year?


Them too.

The argument isn't whether or not you have to spend money to win. You can be semi-competitive and not break the bank, but the majority of teams that compete year in year out are not the $60 mil. teams. It's the $200 mil teams.

A's, Royals, Marlins, Rays, etc, they may compete for a year or two, but won't spend the money to keep the team together in order to stay competitive. The owners cash out and move on.

Luxury tax for the top teams, poverty tax for the bottom where they are forced to give kids, teachers, veterans, and emt's free tickets to games if they are below .475 and can't bring 20k.

[dunfree]

Luxury tax for the top teams, poverty tax for the bottom where they are forced to give kids, teachers, veterans, and emt's free tickets to games if they are below .475 and can't bring 20k.

relegation is the solution . Until there’s a big penalty for being bad, things won’t change. It’s actually “smart” to bomb the season if you’ve no chance

[ex-powderbroker]

i like it. they’d never have the stones tho.

[SkiBall]

Billy Beane has shown a lot of loyalty to Oaktown. But I sometimes wonder if part of it is he just likes the challenge.

[alias_rice]

How the hell did the Dodgers lose Rendon to the fucking Angels? At some point they need to realize they are a big market team and throw some stupid money around.

[SkiBall]

How the hell did the Dodgers lose Rendon to the fucking Angels? At some point they need to realize they are a big market team and throw some stupid money around.

Don't you like Turner? I don't like the Dodgers, but I like Turner. True Blue.

[Supermoon]

How the hell did the Dodgers lose Rendon to the fucking Angels? At some point they need to realize they are a big market team and throw some stupid money around.

Angles will still manage to miss the playoffs

[alias_rice]

Don't you like Turner? I don't like the Dodgers, but I like Turner. True Blue.

Love JT. Loved him even more when he offered to move to 1st if they got Rendon. Turner still has some good years left but is starting to decline for sure and Rendon would have been perfect for the Dodgers. Oh well, at least we aren’t the Mets.