MLB Lock-Out is Finally Freakin’ Over

[sportscoach]

I'd guess agreement within 2 weeks.

I hope so, so we don't lose any games this season...

 

[Gson]

The statement by Rob Manfred that there will be a universal DH will have an effect on the Guardians & how teams in the league will view Franmill Reyes, and, to an extent, Jose Ramirez.

Franmill would be an immediate power threat.. low cost and under team control for several years..

NL Teams can share Jose's position talent with their current player (or Jose will replace them) while keeping everyone fresh and having two potent bats in the lineup every day..

 

[sportscoach]

The statement by Rob Manfred that there will be a universal DH will have an effect on the Guardians & how teams in the league will view Franmill Reyes, and, to an extent, Jose Ramirez.

Franmill would be an immediate power threat.. low cost and under team control for several years..

NL Teams can share Jose's position talent with their current player (or Jose will replace them) while keeping everyone fresh and having two potent bats in the lineup every day..

Why would JRam and/or Reyes go anywhere? If anything this puts up Reyes's value overall, who like JRam is an extension candidate by this organization...

 

[Gson]

Why would JRam and/or Reyes go anywhere? If anything this puts up Reyes's value overall, who like JRam is an extension candidate by this organization...

Theyre not going anywhere.. WHY IN THE F&^^ WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO GO ANYWHERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kevalier]

MLB/Owners are crumbling and starting to cave a bit.

Welp, their latest proposal doesn't indicate any caving on their part:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33274871

 

[BimboColesHair]

Welp, their latest proposal doesn't indicate any caving on their part:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33274871

Oh its coming…I trust who is telling me this way more than myself haha.

 

[Kevalier]

Oh its coming…I trust who is telling me this way more than myself haha.

That's at least encouraging. If the season is going to start on time, they need to have an agreement by the end of the month.

 

[bs80]

MLB/Owners are crumbling and starting to cave a bit.

Obviously this is simplifying a very complex situation, but am I wrong to think that for the most part, what's good for the players is generally not good for small-market teams?

 

[daddywags]

Be hard to get pitchers ready in 30 days, no?

 

[BimboColesHair]

Obviously this is simplifying a very complex situation, but am I wrong to think that for the most part, what's good for the players is generally not good for small-market teams?

I don’t think good for players = bad for small markets at all.

Big emphasis on the players side this go round is paying productivity earlier on, big reason for their fight to increase minimum salaries and pre-arb bonus pool funds, closing service time manipulation loopholes, not incentivizing tanking with high picks, etc. None of that really hurts smaller markets.

It doesn’t matter what rules the CBA creates, big markets are always going to outspend smaller markets (until there is a centralized broadcasting apparatus) on free agents or for payroll. There is no fixing that even with a salary floor or stricter revenue sharing rules.

And I assume you are talking about just that aspect when it comes to “not good” for small markets, the payroll/free agency spending discrepancies.

 

[petes999]

Be hard to get pitchers ready in 30 days, no?

They are already throwing on their own. But, hard part is timing when to ramp up before 4 weeks of games. There sb a 2 week period to really ramp up before ST where they start making real progress on most issues versus this bs of only small give and takes. There will be time in which they are close but need 1 week to fine tune agreement and 1 week for official vote and fly into camps. Pitchers know what they need to do to be ready.

 

[bs80]

I don’t think good for players = bad for small markets at all.

Big emphasis on the players side this go round is paying productivity earlier on, big reason for their fight to increase minimum salaries and pre-arb bonus pool funds, closing service time manipulation loopholes, not incentivizing tanking with high picks, etc. None of that really hurts smaller markets.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I would have guessed that keeping players under team control for a longer period of time at artificially low costs is what gives smaller market teams their only realistic shot at reaping the benefits of their developmental work on these players. I totally understand why the players are fighting hard to get paid what they deserve at an earlier age, but if such a thing was in place in the past, we'd have had to trade Frankie for a similar return even earlier, we'd currently have a huge decision to make on Bieber, etc.

It doesn’t matter what rules the CBA creates, big markets are always going to outspend smaller markets (until there is a centralized broadcasting apparatus) on free agents or for payroll. There is no fixing that even with a salary floor or stricter revenue sharing rules.

Agreed, and it's just so frustrating. You've touched on how RSNs could soon be a thing of the past, right? Would this mean that a centralized broadcasting apparatus is on the way? I know that leveling the playing field completely via a hard cap is a pipe dream, but the discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots would still be bat shit crazy even if no owner blatantly fielded a joke of a team just to hoard profits.

And I assume you are talking about just that aspect when it comes to “not good” for small markets, the payroll/free agency spending discrepancies.

Yup, that's exactly what I was referring to. I don't buy into the "Dolan is a cheap bastard" notion because I don't think that the team is suddenly going to become leaps and bounds better from doubling the payroll. What does frustrate me is that FOs that have a fraction of the talent that ours has gets to make up for it and then some by shelling out big bucks. It just doesn't seem right.

 

[CATS44]

One problem...

While spending doesn't mean winning, winning doesn't mean profits...and profit is the bottom line for most owners.

What is the ownership reward for winning? Nothing that owners care about.

What is the ownership reward for losing? More profit via lower payroll costs, plus better draft choices.

The new CBA should, but won't, incentivise winning games...both in the playoffs and the regular season.

Until profit and loss is in some major way effected by the on the field record, nothing much is gonna change. No matter what deal is reached, an army of ownership attorneys is gonna figure out a way to exploit it to the advantage of ownership and screw the players.

***********

THE immediate problem...

There arent any real negotiations going on. How many actual hours have the two sides sat face to face since the end of the season? Five? Three?

Neither side is really trying...which seems very strange, esp if one side is supposedly ready to cave.

Somehow, I doubt a strategy of 'our side is about to cave, so let's not negotiate at all.'

 

[daddywags]

I thought teams make good money from a deep playoff run. At least that's what I recall being told when the Indians made the playoffs. As for negotiations, you can't get much done just staring or jawboning at each other around a table. In my experience the heavy lifting gets done offsite where parties develop, kick around, and get buy in (or not) on various proposals. Sure, both sides have well developed bright lines and must haves, but you can't rush right to those things, you gotta do the dance and there has to be pressure.

There's a good reason that "settlement on the court house steps" is a well known reality.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

We don't need no federal mediator We don't need no stinkin' federal mediator!