The Broken Business of Baseball (AKA never side with management)

[minnesotacubsfan]

Kasper’s great but the ceiling (aka cap) idea is not cool unless I’m misunderstanding

 

Big fan of incentivizing winning

 

 

How tho? Teams will only win with the players they have and the managements ability to put those players in the best position to win. Winning cant JUST be about draft position because the players currently on a roster wont give a horsefeathers about the next phenom. The players themselves have to be rewarded as well.

 

What about a kind of legacy pension? A way to reward guys like Rizzo who, as they get older, are worth less wins but are rewarded for their youthful service and wins later in their career. It would also keep teams like the Red Sox from reloading year after year and force a churn in the league, teams rising and falling. I realize that this is closer to the old process of rewarding older players (like the Cubs did for years) on the down slope of their careers, but making it easy for the big 4 every year to crush smaller markets gets old.

 

Unfortunately the competitiveness of any pro sport will always lead to those owners/managers who want to win learning how to game any system, I fear.

[BigSlick]

The greatest distorting effect on baseball is the fact that teams get the first 7 years of a players career without letting them test free agency. For 90% of players their peak years will be in those years.

 

I don’t know what would happen if we totally abolished that 7 year standard, but it would get weird and interesting and I’m here for it.

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

playing football is basically homicide, and college football is even worse because kids are killing themselves for no reason

 

.

 

 

No true. College players are killing themselves for the impossible chance that they get to kill themselves for a very small portion of the overall money later.

[BigSlick]

Football all around is depressing

 

High School Football players are killing themselves for the chance to play at a top school for the infinitesmal chance to play in the NFL where the majority of former players go bankrupt

[Bertz]

I think in general, simpler is better. If you have a complicated system, it will 100% favor management as compared to it's simple equivalent. Keeping that in mind, here's what I would fight for if I were the MLBPA

 

1. Years of control are now like minor league options. It's no longer based on days it's a binary yes/no did you appear in the majors in a given year

 

2. Raise the major league minimum to $1m and then set it to rise with revenue

 

3. Start arbitration a year earlier, so it goes Min/Min/20%/40%/60%/80%

 

Not exactly revolutionary, but they're changes that IMO would help a lot while still being something you could see all being included in the next CBA.

[Bluescale]

I really like the idea of control starting when a player becomes a pro. Let control be 7 or 8 years, but that includes your time in the minors. It would disincentivise things like keeping players like Vlad Jr. down in the minors just because. That doesn't fix everything, but it's a good first step.

[David]

My answer would be way radical and probably has a million holes in it. Also, I'm literally making this up as I type it.

 

Have like a $1M base salary for all big leaguers. Every player's pay each season is based on some agreed upon measure of value from the previous season's performance (like some standardized version of WAR with a win valuation scaled based on how much money the league is making).

 

If a team doesn't want to pay full price for the past season's performance, the player is opted into restricted free agency and the open market can determine his value, regardless of how much service time he has. Current team can either agree to pay what another team offered or let him go to that team.

 

I don't really know how you solve the problem that some organizations make way more money than others, though. I hate the idea of a salary cap for a multitude of reasons.

 

Like I said, I'm sure there's a lot wrong with this and a ton I'm not accounting for. And coming up with a statistical measure of performance that everyone could agree on would be a disastrous undertaking, unfortunately.

 

Oh, and pay minor leaguers something reasonable and provide them quality food and housing and all that. This is such a minimal investment that would have no downside for organizations.

 

 

I just hate how the current system is literally set up to pay crappy old guys the most money for years into their crappy oldness.

[minnesotacubsfan]

the big 3 sports are in a real weird spot right now to be honest

 

everyone knows now (and some decent percentage of us care) that seemingly every team owner sucks to some large degree. Like billionaires who want to do well spend their money in ways that aren't on sports teams. so the pool of billionaires willing to buy sports teams are all awful people.

 

social media lets us know that most of our athletes are dick heads in a way that makes (some of) us actually have to mentally confront this fact

 

playing football is basically homicide, and college football is even worse because kids are killing themselves for no reason

 

the baseball season is interminably long

 

not only is the nba season too long but there's 0 reason to watch a game until the 4th quarter.

 

 

I gonna put one on a tee for ya', TBS:

 

 

The Packers don't have an owner. Unless you want to count their more than 360k stockholders as owners.

 

They are a non-profit corporation, the only in American professional sports. They're (business) run by a board of directors and only Mark Murphy collects a salary. Here's something that's great: they the only American major-league sports franchise to release its financial balance sheet every year.

 

 

I hate the packers and would love nothing more then to see them die a slow painful death, but I would feel so much better about professional sports if their ownership mode was the norm instead of the anomaly.

[davell]

I really like the idea of control starting when a player becomes a pro. Let control be 7 or 8 years, but that includes your time in the minors. It would disincentivise things like keeping players like Vlad Jr. down in the minors just because. That doesn't fix everything, but it's a good first step.

 

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

[WrigleyField 22]

I really like the idea of control starting when a player becomes a pro. Let control be 7 or 8 years, but that includes your time in the minors. It would disincentivise things like keeping players like Vlad Jr. down in the minors just because. That doesn't fix everything, but it's a good first step.

 

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

Do my idea and make it an early entry only system then. College players enter as FA, same as an international FA would.

[davell]

I really like the idea of control starting when a player becomes a pro. Let control be 7 or 8 years, but that includes your time in the minors. It would disincentivise things like keeping players like Vlad Jr. down in the minors just because. That doesn't fix everything, but it's a good first step.

 

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

Do my idea and make it an early entry only system then. College players enter as FA, same as an international FA would.

 

I'd absolutely love it if it was every team for themselves, sign who you want type of thing. But, there's literally zero chance they go that direction.

[WrigleyField 22]

 

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

Do my idea and make it an early entry only system then. College players enter as FA, same as an international FA would.

 

I'd absolutely love it if it was every team for themselves, sign who you want type of thing. But, there's literally zero chance they go that direction.

My magic wand says otherwise.

[Sammys Boombox]

I haven’t read all of the ideas, but when it comes to draft order I would prefer the teams are broken into 3 sets of 10. The 10 teams with the BEST records to miss the playoffs get the first 10 picks, then the bottom 10 teams get picks 11-20 and the 10 teams that make the playoffs get 21-30.

 

The team with the best record that missed the playoffs gets pick 1. To make it simple, let’s assume that the 10 teams with the 10 best records all make the playoffs.

 

And make draft picks tradeable.

 

Draft order based on overall place from previous season:

#1 11

#2 12

....

#10 20

#11 30

#12 29

...

#20 21

#21 10

#22 9

...

#30 1

 

I can’t think of a much better incentive to avoid tanking.

[Bluescale]

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

 

Yeah, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Most high school kids get chewed up by the system, and 10 years later have nothing to show for it. Granted, this gives the NCAA more power, which is never a good thing, but kids going from high school to the minor leagues usually doesn’t end well for the kids.

[davell]

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

 

Yeah, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Most high school kids get chewed up by the system, and 10 years later have nothing to show for it. Granted, this gives the NCAA more power, which is never a good thing, but kids going from high school to the minor leagues usually doesn’t end well for the kids.

 

Neither does going to college though lol. Most of the higher ranked HS kids that wind up in college, wind up getting less money than they would have, if they'd have turned early.

 

There's no easy solution. But, in all honesty, I don't see amateur players being a big part of the next CBA.

 

After looking at Bertz' idea..... Its just tweaking some things. An extra year of arb, a bit more minimum salary...... Personally, I think the players need more than this, but its not a horrible compromise.

 

In the end, a lot just depends on what EXACTLY the players are wanting.

[CubinNY]

It also REALLY devalues High School players draft position. No team is taking those guys anywhere remotely early, unless they're a Griffey type talent. You're not drafting guys you think you're getting 2-3 years out of, at best. When the alternative is 4-5 years of major league time out of college players.

 

Yeah, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Most high school kids get chewed up by the system, and 10 years later have nothing to show for it. Granted, this gives the NCAA more power, which is never a good thing, but kids going from high school to the minor leagues usually doesn’t end well for the kids.

 

Neither does going to college though lol. Most of the higher ranked HS kids that wind up in college, wind up getting less money than they would have, if they'd have turned early.

 

There's no easy solution. But, in all honesty, I don't see amateur players being a big part of the next CBA.

 

After looking at Bertz' idea..... Its just tweaking some things. An extra year of arb, a bit more minimum salary...... Personally, I think the players need more than this, but its not a horrible compromise.

 

In the end, a lot just depends on what EXACTLY the players are wanting.

Right, the player's union has no interest in doing anything about people who are not part of the union. The minor league players need to unionize.

[biittner77]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc. The owners are not going to make less money. They just aren't. Debate all you want how much that sucks but that's how it's always going to be. But here's an idea: have a relegation system whereby every 5 years, the 3 owners with the fewest wins have to sell their teams to someone else.

 

Are far as avoiding tanking, a draft lottery among non playoff teams would help that. Make it the same chance for all non playoff teams to get the number one pick. There would be no incentive to tank. Such a system would not punish mediocrity the way the current system does. Then let teams trade draft picks. The NFL draft is more exciting because teams move up and down and collect picks.

[squally1313]

https://deadspin.com/your-favorite-baseball-team-can-afford-any-free-agent-i-1830890838

[SouthSideRyan]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc. The owners are not going to make less money. They just aren't. Debate all you want how much that sucks but that's how it's always going to be.

 

Can’t win don’t try got it.

 

also leave the ghoulish billionaires alone you stupid jerks

[jersey cubs fan]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc.

 

Just freaking stop right there.

[SouthSideRyan]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc.

 

Just freaking stop right there.

 

The first sentence was enough.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc. The owners are not going to make less money. They just aren't. Debate all you want how much that sucks but that's how it's always going to be.

[HawkeTrackler]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money.

 

Bootlicker alert

[Cubfanintheknow]

https://deadspin.com/your-favorite-baseball-team-can-afford-any-free-agent-i-1830890838

 

He’s right.

[Bertz]

Lots of ideas here about how to spend other people's money. Any change that results in higher pay for the players will result in higher prices for tickets, parking etc. The owners are not going to make less money. They just aren't. Debate all you want how much that sucks but that's how it's always going to be. But here's an idea: have a relegation system whereby every 5 years, the 3 owners with the fewest wins have to sell their teams to someone else.

 

Are far as avoiding tanking, a draft lottery among non playoff teams would help that. Make it the same chance for all non playoff teams to get the number one pick. There would be no incentive to tank. Such a system would not punish mediocrity the way the current system does. Then let teams trade draft picks. The NFL draft is more exciting because teams move up and down and collect picks.

 

Wait, is the relegation idea sarcastically over-the-top or do you honestly think that's more realistic than the other ideas in this thread?