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Originally Posted by molson
What is the practical relevance of this? How this "problem" fixed? Should teams unilaterally not hold new players to the terms of the CBA, and protect those players since the union refuses to? Why are the GMs and owners more responsible for the well-being of these players than the union? Should players extend the same courtesy to new GMs and owners?
The union makes a bad deal, protects certain players at the expense of others, but they're not the bad guys somehow. They want to have their cake and eat it too. Make concessions for what they really want, but then cry about making those concessions. And then talk about the agreement from a 3rd-party perspective of objective fairness, even though that's not how CBAs are created. We rightfully mock teams when they do the same thing.
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Reducing years of control on ELC's to be more in line with other sports would be a start. Tying years of control directly to when an organization signs a player instead of having a two tiered system where they have X years of minor league control, then a new clock starts once they hit the majors would be beneficial. (And you could either do it with different limits on years for foreign signings, HS draftees & college draftees, or make it strictly age based where every player will be eligible for UFA the first year after they're 27 or something unless they sign an extension. Maybe even introduce an RFA system for arb-eligible players.)
If you've read my earlier thoughts I'm no fan of the union, I don't see a way a current generation of players in the middle/downside of their careers don't get hurt in the exchange, and I think making guys like Machado, Harper & Kimbrel who refused to budge on exorbitant demands the faces of what's wrong is a joke, but like JPhillips has repeatedly pointed out the owners also aren't spending any $$$ (even on 1-year contracts) for proven MLB talent like Jose Iglesias to fill out their depth chart. This wasn't something negotiated away by the union, it's a change in how almost all teams operate that's been accelerated in the past couple offseasons under the guise of sabermetrics. (And I'd argue MLB's draft/IFA pools that disproportionately favor the worst teams by record also helps make tanking more attractive than finishing with 75-85 wins.)
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Originally Posted by PilotMan
Personally, it would be really nice if the players went to bat for the minor league players, although it would probably kill the entire minor league system if the got forced improvements out of the owners.
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I don't think it would kill the minor league system to pay minimum wage to players, and owners going to congress to argue against just that is one of the more tone deaf moves in recent years
MLB, MiLB Lobbying Pays Off In 'Save America's Pastime' Act
I also don't understand why minor league teams (at least those controlled by the parent club) don't offer decent postgame spreads. With all the focus on nutrition and physical development in all pro sports now it seems insane that teams won't spend that pittance.