Call to the pen
Fansided

Marvin Miller should not be on MLB Hall of Fame ballot

By Bobby Mueller

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 24: A patron of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum takes a photograph of the plaques of inducted members during induction weekend on July 24, 2010 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 24: A patron of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum takes a photograph of the plaques of inducted members during induction weekend on July 24, 2010 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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GLEN ELLEN, CA – OCTOBER 16: Santa Maria firefighter Cody Joy plays around with Lucky, a 13-week old yellow Labrador puppy on October 16, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead, dozens are still missing, and at least 5,700 buildings have been destroyed since wildfires broke out a week ago. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
GLEN ELLEN, CA – OCTOBER 16: Santa Maria firefighter Cody Joy plays around with Lucky, a 13-week old yellow Labrador puppy on October 16, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead, dozens are still missing, and at least 5,700 buildings have been destroyed since wildfires broke out a week ago. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) /

Life in the real world

No one would ever romanticize this in the real world. We wouldn’t expect a police officer or firefighter or schoolteacher to be forced to work at the same place their entire career, but that’s how it was for baseball players. They had no freedom to change teams and as soon as the owner wanted to get rid of them, he would. The power was all in the hands of the owners.

Not only were players bound to their teams, but the conditions were much worse. Most players had jobs in the offseason, the travel schedule was difficult, locker rooms were cramped, and the union had no control or input on the pensions of retired players.

Marvin Miller came along and helped greatly improve the conditions and compensation for MLB players. With the help of a few bold players—Curt Flood, Andy Messersmith, and Dave McNally—Miller changed the game forever. His biggest achievement was the elimination of the Reserve Clause as it had existed for many years.

The Reserve Clause may no longer exist, but the framework wasn’t totally been abolished. Teams still have control over a player for six major league seasons before the player can become a free agent. During these first six years, the player is underpaid because there’s no competition for his services. Once he hits free agency, he can make the money he deserves. Every MLB free agent has Marvin Miller to thank for the generous free agent contracts he signs.

One interesting note about the negotiations that established free agency is how shrewd Miller was. Rather than fight for unlimited free agency, Miller agreed to the owners’ demands for restrictions on free agency. Taking into consideration the principle of supply and demand, Miller knew that players would be better off if there were a limited number of them available to be signed as free agents each year. Limit the supply and increase the demand.

One owner disagreed with the others, but was ignored. That was Charlie Finley, the eccentric owner of the Oakland A’s. His idea was for every player to become a free agent every year, which would flood the market with talent and keep salaries down. Many years after the negotiations, Miller revealed that he was happy the other owners ignored Finley.

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