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So if you are wealthy, you owe that wealth to others?
I’m not of the mind that MLB owners aren’t massively wealthy or that MLB is not making money hand over fist.
But there is a cost/benefit analysis in everything. And if you drive the cost of minor league players up by 500%, then that analysis is going to change massively.
I realize that in Utopia these things don’t happen and everyone can be a millionaire, but that isn’t the world we live in.
The system has been tried in the Atlantic League and in the Arizona Fall League. Anybody have reports of how the AFL worked out with that system?
Generally, I think they liked it. Specifically, the feedback was that it was excellent on the inside and outside corners. There was some negative feedback on big curve balls at the top and bottom of the zone – this is likely due to the fact that umps have been getting those wrong for ages, and an adjustment will be needed (but this is pure speculation on my part).
I suppose that’s why I chose the words that I did. Economics says no. We don’t know what the law says, because it hasn’t been adjudicated yet. It is certainly possible the law says it is illegal.
I can’t wait until all the do-gooders out there have minor leaguers punching a clock for the 90 total minor league times. Won’t everyone be better off then?
Like I said, there will be cause and effect here. The law of unintended consequences always strikes when minimum wage laws are tinkered with.
I’m way past the time where this actually affects me, and I always knew that eventually someone would go on a crusade to “save” minor leaguers from their low wages. A lot of those people will be saved right out of the minor leagues. And, honestly, I can’t say for sure that that isn’t a good thing. But what I can tell you is that there are thousands of young men out there willing to give their dreams a shot for less than what those guys get paid now. That opportunity is going to be taken from them by this crusade. And the people who pushed it will always point the finger at someone else – because that’s just who they are.
I think that what we are going to see is both sides lose in this one. MLB will be forced to pay more, and, as a result of basic economics, far less minor league jobs will be kept. Minor professional baseball just doesn’t bring in the money to support highly paid players.
College baseball could end up being the biggest winner in this.
I know that so many people think that rich people can afford to pay more, but there has never, ever been a forced major raise in minimum salary that didn’t result in far less demand for labor. That’s the way the world works, even if it makes multi-colored hair 20-somethings cry.
Do the minors pay too little? Economics say they don’t, because they have more supply of young men willing to work for that wage than they have positions to fill.
None of this is to say that there won’t be a ton of finger-pointing when the inevitable happens. Owners will be called greedy, but they will continue to do with their businesses what they please, which is their right.
If pressed, I take the over. I’m not sure if that is my heart speaking or not, though. I really want him to be great again, and not just because he’s important to my team. He seems like a good guy, and a guy who really works at his craft. I sure hope last year was just a blip.
Yes, I would propose fines for the players for failure to report the illegal activity.
I’d venture a guess that this would violate the CBA.
No where in the article did it say it was a 10-year period.
#Readingcomprehensionfail
You got one of those two things right.
The basic rule of thumb is that if it is entirely done by uniformed team members, it is legal (but you risk getting ear-holed). If you involve others, it is illegal. That was always the way it was understood by players. It has now been codified. The codification just makes it apparent that a uniformed guy in the bullpen relaying it to hitter is against the rules, too (which was also understood).
There was a league-wide directive from 2010 that prohibited the use of electronic devices and binoculars. That directive was codified into a fairly specific rule before this past season.
There is not really a check swing. It is only the umpire’s opinion on whether or not the batter “struck at the pitch.” The basic interpretation is whether or not the batter attempted to hit the ball. I once saw an umpire make an interesting call on this. On an 0-2 pitch (in a critical situation against a nasty closer”, the batter swung the bat on a pitch that was wild by 10 feet. He just swung and ran to first. The ump(s) determined that he wasn’t trying to hit the ball, so it was not a swing. And, that was the correct call.
A billion divided by 30 teams! Well that’s about $33M and change, for each team. Not enough to cover the cost of even one year of Cole. What’s an MLB club to do. It’s tough out there, for sure.
That’s over 10 years. $3.33 million per year doesn’t even get you a washed up Japanese lefty with one good pitch.
#mathfail
I have a hard time believing this one. If we signed Bumgarner we probably wouldn’t have the budget to also throw a really bad contract at a reliever.
But throwing a lot of money at an aging vet whose cliff is imminent does seem like a real possibility.
Carioca, my concerns aren’t as specific as yours, but I agree that there is something about that whole situation that doesn’t speak well for the organization – and never sat well with me. There was (is) a culture problem when they have guys hacking other teams.
Lunhow has proven to be far better than Mo at putting together a baseball team, but there are some real culture issues with the Astros, as well. Lunhow’s Zero Tolerance Policy for domestic abuse right after trading for Osuna might have been the most idiotic thing I’ve heard from a GM, and that’s saying something.
Bob, they were common place in baseball throughout the 90’s, and the nineties use was less than the 80’s. And the 80’s less than the 70’s. And if my elders are to be believed, the 70’s were their peak (into the early 80’s).
Bike Mike, are you of the belief that steroids were first used by Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds?
Edit: the game evolves very slowly. And fast jump you see in evolution are typically due to rules changes or equipment changes (even changes that aren’t announced or admitted to by MLB).
New England Patriots: Unethical and unsportsmanlike.
Houston Astros: Unethical and unsportsmanlike.
Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod, McGwire, Big Papi, Manny Ramirez: Unethical, unsportsmanlike, and illegal.Public opinions.
Patriots: Best pro football dynasty ever, best head coach in NFL history.
Astros: Cheating jerks who should be punished as harshly as possible.
Steroid boys: Roaring successes. Let’s bestow upon them the highest possible honor in their sport.Makes for a fascinating study in psychology — or abnormal psychology as the case may be.
To add another layer to the abnormal psychology – Why do the people who most strongly vilify steroid users also pretend that rampant amphetamine use in the early 80’s and before was no big deal?
Comparing Wainwright and Fowler is apples and oranges. Fowler was a panic move and was overpaid for what reasonably could be expected. And it isn’t a shock that he’s been less than what could have reasonably been expected.
Yadi’s contract, on the other hand, is probably the better one for you to point to. But being a sure-fire Cardinals hall of famer makes a real difference.
Agreed, Carioca. That’s what I was thinking. My prediction: this will be the bidding war that Mo wins, and we will give him a multiyear deal. It’s not like we ever sign deals we regret, though, so this should work out great. After all, 2.6 WAR (lower than last year, when he was a disappointment) outfielders don’t grow on trees, right?
Regression to the mean can be a sudden and painful thing. Is it possible to become a seller on October 15th?
It’s gonna be tough to beat out whatever expensive veteran that Mo overpays for this offseason. I mean, currently unknown player had a good season last year, although it was the best of his career, and he is unlikely to repeat it. Also, unknown player is making a lot of money, which has to give him first rights to the position.
it just seems like cardinals are just sitting and waiting on fastballs. got to go up there trying to hit his off speed pitches.
It doesn’t seem that way when they actually get a fastball and then do nothing with it.
This team massively overachieved this year. I’m not sure how to square that with a manager that I think is terrible, but this collection of players with how they played should not have won more than 81 games.
