The MLB is failing its players
Thinking you might have an opinion on this
Of course I do! I've been talking about this ad nauseum in my MLB Whatsapp thread....though you changed the headline: It should "MLBPA" is failing it's players.
First off - this is all Mike Trout and the Angels fault. He would have been a free agent this off season and things would have been dramatically different. Instead, he got paid, they got an extension, and both sides are happy until 2021.
That sets up next season for Harper, Machado and Kershaw (potentially) and a ton of teams making 1-year/2-year deals this often season to be part of next years premiere class.
But here's what else you've got - an MLBPA Head that is a former major leaguer, not a lawyer, not a labor expert. And he's getting trounced. He comes from the old school, where the Union worked hard to make sure veterans get paid, and did so at the expense of younger players. 6 years of control kept the young players salaries down so the veterans could make more money. Teams (and fans) are over that model and you're seeing that play out right now in the free agency period. Houston and Chicago showed teams that getting younger is better and only the Giants haven't adjusted.
Does anybody really want their team to give:
Yu Darvish (31) - 5 years?
Lorenzo Cain (31) - 4 years?
Jake Arrietta (31) - 5 years?
JD Martinez (30) - 5 years?
Until those guys sign, the rest won't - but teams don't want to meet their year demands. I'm a little surprised that Moustakas and Hosmer are still there, given their age, but maybe they won't be signed until the best bat, JD Martinez, signs. Let's not forget most of these guys turned down qualifying offers of $17+ million.
Next year is going to be an ABSOLUTE shitshow that I can't wait to watch, but this isn't going to get better until 2021 when the contract is up for review. Hopefully the players association gets a new leader and they do what's right for baseball - reduce the years of control to 4 or 5, and owners will be more likely to sign bigger deals for younger (think age 27/28) players.
