MLB Labor Deal

[CMH]

Sources are indicating that a deal is near. It should include a few things mentioned over the past months here in the baseball forum:

-Realignment of the sport into two 15-team leagues
-Adding a second wild-card team in each league
-Spreading interleague play throughout all six months of the regular season
-Changes to the draft, free agency

It seems that a salary slotting system for draft picks and compensation for losing a top player through free agency were the major holdups that both sides are nearing an agreement on.

There's a strong chance that the Type-A, Type-B free agent system that currently determines whether a team loses a first round or second round pick will be gone as the two sides will find a way to separate the true stars of the game from other free agents.


Most importantly is how smoothly these negotiations are going considering the recent NFL and current NBA labor disputes and MLB's past.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7239006/sides-close-major-league-baseball-labor-deal-sources-say

[TheMatrix31]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

Well, I hate the interleague play thing and I especially hate adding playoff teams....but whatever.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

There's a strong chance that the Type-A, Type-B free agent system that currently determines whether a team loses a first round or second round pick will be gone as the two sides will find a way to separate the true stars of the game from other free agents.

Glad to see a deal is close to getting done even if means interleague all year long and adding another playoff team.

This part quoted above is pretty interesting and will have huge implications for the Blue Jays to force their hand to be more aggressive in free agency rather than stockpiling on draft picks.

[CabreraMVP]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

Type A free agents is messed up, glad it's changed.

Kelly Johnson is Type A free agent. Nobody wants to sign this guy even though he's a solid player.

The Tigers gave up first round picks both of the past 2 years to sign Victor Martinez and Valverde who are bonafide all stars and some of the best at their positions.......And then have to cough up a first rounder for Kelly Johnson? How does that work.

The Tigers might have offered Johnson a contract if it wasn't for that contract. I heard Ramon Hernandez is a type A free agent too? He's a good player but who wants to give up a first rounder for a 30 something catcher

[CMH]

It's a bad system that needed to be destroyed. Glad that both sides understand that.

Probably not too hard for them to agree on that considering it hurts both sides. Like you said, no one wants to lose a draft pick for a non-star and the player is basically outcast because he can't sign a contract.


I think the league is at that point where AL and NL don't really matter besides tradition and a single rule. It won't look pretty but the leagues haven't been separate for a long time now. No sense in creating this divide in the schedule that is merely traditional rather than functional.


Sent from my mobile device.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

I think the league is at that point where AL and NL don't really matter besides tradition and a single rule. It won't look pretty but the leagues haven't been separate for a long time now. No sense in creating this divide in the schedule that is merely traditional rather than functional.

That single rule is annoying to AL teams when they play in NL parks. They sign a strong DH and 1B quite often, and need to figure out how they can optimize in other parks. It lowers the value of the DH significantly. Of course, this happens during interleague play anyway, so it might not be that different, unless...

Does this completely eliminate the interleague period of the season, then? In other words, do they still keep the games where everybody plays each other in the other league at the same time, or does this new "spread" completely remove that period?

[mvb34]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

[quote=Blzer;2043089539]That single rule is annoying to AL teams when they play in NL parks. They sign a strong DH and 1B quite often, and need to figure out how they can optimize in other parks. It lowers the value of the DH significantly. Of course, this happens during interleague play anyway, so it might not be that different, unless...

Does this completely eliminate the interleague period of the season, then? In other words, do they still keep the games where everybody plays each other in the other league at the same time, or does this new "spread" completely remove that period?[/quote]


I believe it will be spreaded out because each league will have 15 teams and there always be an interleague series..

[BatsareBugs]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

Padres to AL West, someone from the NL Central to the NL West, please.

[sydrogerdavid]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

Nothing about the DH. I just don't understand how they will allow year round interleague play and also still allow the DH rule. I'll be much more open to year round interleague play if the DH is banished, but at least make it even for both leagues, either way.

[snepp]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

They should have the DH in NL parks and no DH in the AL parks during interleague.

[Marino]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

Padres to AL West, someone from the NL Central to the NL West, please.

They are just going to move Houston to the AL West and we will have 6 divisions with 5 teams each.

[dickey1331]

Padres to AL West, someone from the NL Central to the NL West, please.

No more Cali teams. Houston is good with me.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

They should have the DH in NL parks and no DH in the AL parks during interleague.

That's an idea i've heard from some people. The rationale being is that it would give fans in an NL park AL style baseball and vice versa. I would not be opposed to such an idea.

[Polo Bandit]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

They are just going to move Houston to the AL West and we will have 6 divisions with 5 teams each.

Astros are gonna lose what little fan base they had left after this.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Labor Deal

I believe it will be spreaded out because each league will have 15 teams and there always be an interleague series..

I got that much.

I was just wondering if they're going to do matchups in May and June where every AL team will play an NL team (much like the current interleague system is), or if that will be gone because there will always be an interleague series during the season?