Bleeding Yankee Blue: COLLUSION IN BASEBALL?

Thursday, February 14, 2019

COLLUSION IN BASEBALL?

No, I am not talking about the conspiracy between President Trump and Russia. We breathe baseball here, not politics. That being said, does collusion exist in baseball?

There are WAY too many free agents still on the market right now. Spring training is here and there are far too many big names out there still with no job. Thankfully J.A. Happ isn't one of those names and he was smart to sign in December, but you can still hear some of his frustration:

"It’s surprising and it’s disappointing. I know we're [the Players Association] working on ways to change this, but it's frustrating for sure to see all the quality guys out there that can help teams win not being signed this close to spring. It's a bummer," read more HERE.

Last winter was slow, but it also didn't have the same star studded power as this free agent class, so many didn't expect another slow market. Big names like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado usually create a slower market for others until they sign but....they both still don't have jobs. How can two young guys with infinite talent still be on the market? This wouldn't even be possible three years ago.

And what about Dallas Keuchel, a Cy Young Award winner three years ago? There's no reason why he does not have a job. Or Craig Kimbrel, who led the NL in saves for four straight seasons and was the closer for the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox who is the best reliever on the market. Adam Jones does not have a job, nor does Mike Moustakas or Gio Gonzalez.

How about Doug Fister or Marwin Gonzalez? I mean, Gonzalez is extremely versatile. Teams salivate over a guy they can plug in multiple positions. You can't convince me that a guy with his versatility doesn't fit on one of the 30 MLB teams. I'm not buying that one.

There are approximately 70 experienced free agents still unsigned with Opening Day less than two months away. Quite a few of these players would be major game changers to a team, especially contending teams like the Red Sox who haven't addressed their bullpen and the guy that helped them win their championship. Side note, I am VERY okay with not seeing Kimbrel pitch against the Yankees.

So should fans and players be mad at the owners? It's easy to say that owners are trying to be strategic with how they are spending their money and don't want to sign those big money long term deals. They are in it to make money, but fans are in it to see their favorite players. Without their favorite players there is no reason to buy the expensive jerseys, MLB extra inning packages, game tickets or outrageously priced beers at those games.

Long term and big money deals do have a bad stigma attached to them. We tend to remember the bad deals like Bobby Bonilla, Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury and Alex Rodriguez and understandably so. I know I can't wait to get rid of Ellsbury.

But not all long term deals are remembered as a disaster. I'd say CC Sabathia's seven year deal was a good investment. He's been reliable and it helped us get an immediate championship. Oh and Derek Jeter's 10 year deal back in 2000 was one of the best investments any team could make.

More than half of Major League teams haven't signed a free agent this winter. That's a startling number. So far, the only player to get a payday of over $100 million is Patrick Corbin. Many teams (like the Yankees) CAN afford guys like Harper or Machado, but yet they have chosen not to. Are MLB owners behind this?

I love baseball, but it's not easy to make it here. Yeah, there is a potential to make BIG money here.....but it's a long road to get there and maybe it is scaring some guys off. Maybe guys like Kyler Murray who just chose the NFL over baseball (read more HERE) are more interested in the guaranteed money than a gamble in MLB free agency. At this point, can you blame them?

So who is to blame for these last slow winters? Are players just greedy and have they ruined free agency....or are MLB owners colluding to change the game? It makes me wonder if a salary cap is the only thing to get baseball back on track.