Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media this weekend and he had a lot to say. The media asked about everything from impending rule changes, to payroll concerns as well as why Major League baseball still has 100 unsigned free agents with spring training games set to start next week. The answers were definitely interesting...
We have all been anxiously awaiting those spring training games to start, and when they do next week Manfred was pretty clear that pitch clocks will be part of those games. But beyond those spring training games? Well, that is up in the air.
Manfred wants the MLBPA to buy into his pitch clock, that may be a challenge for him. If they don't he could chose to implement it unilaterally which could create more tension with the already fragile state within baseball operations. Nonetheless, Triple-A and Double-A has been using a pitch clock since 2015.
If a pitcher takes too long to begin his delivery an automatic ball is added to the count. It's unclear if that same penalty would be used in spring training but it seems unlikely. I'm sure there would be some sort of grace period there, especially if Manfred wants the least amount of resistance on this issue. He should want the players to get used to this, not have more reason to fight about it.
And what about payroll and the state of the league right now? According to Manfred, he does not believe there is any relationship between how much money is spent and how good a team is or is trying to be.
If a pitcher takes too long to begin his delivery an automatic ball is added to the count. It's unclear if that same penalty would be used in spring training but it seems unlikely. I'm sure there would be some sort of grace period there, especially if Manfred wants the least amount of resistance on this issue. He should want the players to get used to this, not have more reason to fight about it.
And what about payroll and the state of the league right now? According to Manfred, he does not believe there is any relationship between how much money is spent and how good a team is or is trying to be.
So what about that Luxury tax? Not a factor I guess. Oh and, the Red Sox winning 108 regular season games with the highest payroll and winning another championship don't measure how successful a team is, or at least trying to be? If that is the case I guess the Marlins have a chance, right?
Their low payroll and rebuilding team doesn't measure how successful they aren't going to be I guess. There is evidence to show that there is a connection between dollars spent and team success. It's okay when the Red Sox do it, but when the Astros were in rebuild mode and then won a World Series it was a major topic of conversation.
And what about all of the remaining free agents? Those payroll dollars aren't being spent on guys that should be employed by now. We've already talked about that when we wrote COLLUSION IN BASEBALL? Yet, here we are getting ready to play games and the two top free agents still aren't signed. Manfred says he thinks the free agent market will begin to move once games begin, read more HERE. The past two winters we've seen big names still unsigned going into spring. The markets should be shaped by now, not getting underway. That's what winter is for.
Manfred's answer is it is Bryce Harper's fault. After Harper's team suggested he wanted $400 million two years ago that was "an impediment" for discussions now. He singled Harper out, but didn't have any words of wisdom for Manny Machado's identical situation.
Manfred is really concerned with his pitch clock. A pitch clock won't matter when two of the biggest names in the game are still unsigned and you have more teams in rebuilding mode and very few in the "spend lots of money" mode. The game is much better when the best players are playing and owners put competitive teams on the field. Rocket science, right?
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj
Their low payroll and rebuilding team doesn't measure how successful they aren't going to be I guess. There is evidence to show that there is a connection between dollars spent and team success. It's okay when the Red Sox do it, but when the Astros were in rebuild mode and then won a World Series it was a major topic of conversation.
And what about all of the remaining free agents? Those payroll dollars aren't being spent on guys that should be employed by now. We've already talked about that when we wrote COLLUSION IN BASEBALL? Yet, here we are getting ready to play games and the two top free agents still aren't signed. Manfred says he thinks the free agent market will begin to move once games begin, read more HERE. The past two winters we've seen big names still unsigned going into spring. The markets should be shaped by now, not getting underway. That's what winter is for.
Manfred's answer is it is Bryce Harper's fault. After Harper's team suggested he wanted $400 million two years ago that was "an impediment" for discussions now. He singled Harper out, but didn't have any words of wisdom for Manny Machado's identical situation.
Manfred is really concerned with his pitch clock. A pitch clock won't matter when two of the biggest names in the game are still unsigned and you have more teams in rebuilding mode and very few in the "spend lots of money" mode. The game is much better when the best players are playing and owners put competitive teams on the field. Rocket science, right?
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj
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