The Law of Unintended Consequences
These are just a few ideas of varying degrees of merit. One that was left out was creating a minimum team payroll. I will give it just a few words here before ending.
The idea is very enticing but the more I think about it, the less efficient it becomes. I believe it was Marvin Miller who once said, MLB has a payroll floor: It’s called the minimum salary. If someone recognizes the quote, please correct the attribution.
Either way, if the idea is to get more free agents hired, I’m not sure how effective this would be. Owners and GM’s would likely just pay more to their existing players, rather than hire new ones. And if I cannot see a clear benefit, I am wary of advocating for it.
Their Own Worst Enemy
My cautionary tale in this regard comes from an old NBA labor dispute. The older players wanted more rewards for being veterans, so they established a graduated pay scale in that round of labor negotiations. This guaranteed veteran players would be paid more than rookies and other less-experienced players.
Logical, to be sure. But affecting their labor agreement had a sadly ironic effect.
Next: the Yankees Jacoby Ellsbury is Exhibit A for Why Free Agency Changed
Owners immediately took the opportunity to employ far fewer veteran players for much more cost-effective rookies. And with older, wiser players no longer in as many locker rooms, the owners and GM’s gave themselves a leg up in a variety of areas.
That story and its ramifications too numerous to delve into here is always on my mind when I make any suggestions. However, what once worked well for MLB is now broken, or at least breaking. And that is unacceptable.
Because, more than it is the temporary owners or even more transitory players, this game belongs to the fans. It is for them that any suggestions have to be put forward, now. And it is their loyalty that needs to be considered by MLB and the Players’ Association in the next CBA.