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Does somthing need to be done with contracts in baseball?


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I was reading a sports star book in the libary the other day, published in 1994. It stated that Barry Bonds signed a controversial and record $43.75 million over 6 years with the Giants. At that point it was the largest contract in history of Baseball. Now we have guys like Gil Meche signed to 5-year contract worth $55 million. This obviously isnt just inflation. Its inflation based totally on the owners in this league.

 

Its become a point where the richer teams put out ridiculous overpaying contracts, so every above average player is going to be signed by a handfull of the richer teams. Every Great player in the league ends up moving to one of the better teams, and the mid- or small market teams only can keep their marquee players for the first few years of the contract. You might get your random surges from the Marlins, Royals, Brewers. But with the way the owners have overpayed it puts the other teams in a situation where, they have to give up any decent players they have, and can't sign any free-agens without giving up 50% of their payroll. there has to be something implemented where the rich teams dont have such an obvious advantage.

 

Until something is done, the Marlins are taking a huge hit at this.

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In regards to free agency what has changed in the last 30 years that is differant today? The Yankees have been big spenders ever since the first free agents, big market teams draw big market players, the problem is small market teams overpaying for players while pretending to be big spenders. For every A Rod and Manny contract you have the Blue Jays waaaaayyy overpaying for a BJ Ryan. Its for the benefit for the small market teams to bargains and build through drafts and trades. Look at the White Sox, Cardinals and Athletics in recent years.

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In regards to free agency what has changed in the last 30 years that is differant today? The Yankees have been big spenders ever since the first free agents, big market teams draw big market players, the problem is small market teams overpaying for players while pretending to be big spenders. For every A Rod and Manny contract you have the Blue Jays waaaaayyy overpaying for a BJ Ryan. Its for the benefit for the small market teams to bargains and build through drafts and trades. Look at the White Sox, Cardinals and Athletics in recent years.

 

But what does the White Sox Cardinals and Athletics have anything to with each other? I belieive the reason why Meche and Ryan are overpayed like that is because that what they need to do to keep them from signing with whatever other overpaid contract Boston or NY with give them, was to overpay.

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Arbitration evens things out very well.

 

If you put in a salary cap, you'd really have to take out arbitration, which then hurts small market teams even more.

but maybe a salary cap eliminates small market to a certain extent...i mean in football...teams from ny, boston, chicago and LA cant just outspend everyone and buy whichever free agent they pick and choose...and if every team is on a level playing field...maybe small market teams would have a better chance at the playoffs...

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What about a limit to how much can be given to a player? screw free enterprise

although something needs to be done...it wont...someday, we will find a commissioner with enough balls to just contract every team not in boston, nyc, chicago, and LA...that way...baseball can finally live its dream of yanks and sawx playing each other every single day all summer long, without worry of a team like the marlins even existing...ah...just the way baseball should be :thumbup

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Baseball should first address the draft. There should be an automatic hard slotting like the NBA, or basic slotting like the NFL. It's ridiculous the worst teams don't get the best players because they can't afford it, defeats the purpose of the draft.

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Baseball should first address the draft. There should be an automatic hard slotting like the NBA, or basic slotting like the NFL. It's ridiculous the worst teams don't get the best players because they can't afford it, defeats the purpose of the draft.

 

That is one thing I do agree with. You shouldnt have to pass up players because you cant afford them.

 

However I think free agency is just fine now. Ya it sucks the marlins have a sh*tty stadium situation, but for the most part it works. Spending tons of money doesnt guarantee anything. I just wish the marlins had a little more money so they could keep their team. I have no problem with the marlins being right at the league average in terms of team salary.

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The day baseball implements a salary cap is the day I stop being a fan. I absolutely despise that system.

I tend to agree.

 

Made me dislike the NFL more and more every year.

 

Parity sucks.

 

I disagree with that. If you are a fan of a team that kicks everyone's ass then you probably dont like parity. If you werent a red sox fan would you be singing the same tune about the MLB? If you were a rays fan you would want a salary cap.

 

However, I think having no cap in baseball is just fine.

 

The reason the NFL blows all other sports away is because of the salary cap. Every team has a chance when the season begins. In all the other sports there are teams that have no chance. Every year you have worst to first stories in the NFL, you dont have as many, if any at all in the MLB.

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There is a definite downside to the salary cap and that is it forces teams to dump their old players. The days of players spending their careers in a single city would be entirely over. It stinks in the NFL to see veteran guys get pushed out the door year after year, and a lot of guys have to change teams nearly every year despite reasonable performance because teams want cap freedom and cut guys loose. I would hate to see this happen in baseball. The Yankees will be competitive pretty much every year because of their payroll, but that doesn't prevent other teams from winning without spending like the Yankees. As for the Royals, its their own fault that they have to pay that much for an average pitcher. A team that works its talent correctly can obtain guys to build around.

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I think that the problem isn't that small market/payroll teams are at a disadvantage, it's that more than a few of them are too stupid to exploit a system clearly there for their benefit.

 

The A's, DRays and Rangers have shown that superstar players have/will sign lucrative extension that buy out arbitration years for well below market value in exchange for security. I'd assume, since this rant is from a Marlin fan, that the majority of the animosity seems that we're just fitting Cabrera for his Yankee pinstripes, and that's mostly our fault.

 

To me, hte biggest way to control contracts and not institute a cap is to keep the luxury tax threshold and prohibit teams from adding free agents when over the tax-limit, and could only add salary (limitless) through trade. It prevents the good money after bad problem, and presumably keeps the most aggressive bidders off the table, all while 'forcing' reason in contractual negotiations. However, I know the MLBPA would never allow this.

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PS: I know that many traditionalists vehemently oppose a salary cap or something of that nature, but really, free-agency has so drastically changed the baseball landscape that a salary cap (which has the intention of letting baseball teams keep their superstar player(s)) really would be a 'throw back' to what used to be.

 

I mean, the only debateable dynasties of the last 15 years were funded by billionaires.

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Why do we care how much BJ Ryan is getting paid? I say, let owners pay what the market will bear. Eventually, attendence will be down, ratings will be down, ad money will be down and owners will get the picture. Until we get to that point, MLB has ZERO motivation for instituting a Salary Cap. If chincey owners like former Brewers owner Bud Selig [some of you may have heard of this tool] want to line their pockets while reinvesting nearly nothing into their product and don't care about actually competing every year, then so be it. The fans will speak out with the wallets. Just ask Jeffrey Loria.

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One of my friends is a die hard Rays fan and he hates the salary cap idea even more than I do.

 

It's boring, first of all. In the NFL, everything is reduced to building an assortment of players just to get under the figure. Whereas in baseball you get a diversity of plans and franchise goals that makes each team unique.

 

And the cap only really ostensibly promotes parity (it's overstated). The extra playoff spots make a huge difference and the playoffs in MLB since when contracts started to get out of hand have had a very strong representation of ML clubs. On top of that, the only clubs not making it to the postseason are those with less competent ownerships and front offices, and most likely wouldn't be in competition even with a salary cap (there have been several examples of teams with money not performing well).

 

In the end NFL is more popular just because of the nature of the sport itself. It's faster paced, harder hitting, and more athletic.

 

I think the systems in baseball (no cap) and football (cap) work just fine. However, I dont know why a rays fan would be against a cap? Without a cap it is virtually guaranteed that the yankees and redsox will have good teams every season. Their is a reason why the rays have finished in last place 8 out of 9 years.

 

While I will agree that football (the sport) is more popular than baseball, I think the salary cap has something to do with it. Fans of every team right now think they can make the playoffs heading into the season. Almost every game sells out, even for poor teams. Yes I know its only an 8 game season. However if a team was consistently poor, you would see a drop in attendance.

 

The bottom line is keep the system how it is right now. The teams that are spending more are the ones with larger fans bases and greater interests. I just hope the marlins can get a stadium and increase their salary to a respectable level. I thought it was pretty gross last season that there were about 10 players in the MLB that made more than the entire marlins team. Thats not a slight on the players, but on the marlins.

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The Rays have pulled their resources together and have created a sleeping threat that could potentially make a run at a Wild Card spot in the next couple of years.

 

The Rays are an entire bullpen away from being a good team. If they had half the guys in our pen this year they may be over .500.

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The Rays have pulled their resources together and have created a sleeping threat that could potentially make a run at a Wild Card spot in the next couple of years.

 

The Rays are an entire bullpen away from being a good team. If they had half the guys in our pen this year they may be over .500.

 

Are any of their position players going to be FA's soon?

 

What sucks for the Drays is that they have the two teams that spend the most in their division. Although the yankees arent playing well thus far this season, they could make a bunch of moves in the offseason to improve themselves. The drays really cant do anything to impove their roster.

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Lately there has been more varied WS champs than there has been Superbowl or NBA champs so I think the system in baseball is fine. A team can be consistently good year after year with a payroll of around 60-70 mil, a strong farm system, and making intelligent trades ala Minnesota. Absurd salaries don't always yield championships or even a winning record.

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