Does Baseball Need a Salary Cap?

I found this courtesy of Buster Olney. This is Bruce Jenkins' (of the San Francisco Chronicle) thoughts about a salary cap in baseball. I thought he made some interesting points.

With all the spending the Yanks did this winter and the chatter around the game about a salary cap, what do you guys and gals think?

10 months ago OSUmets 33 comments 0 recs |

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Of Course

I haven’t posted on AA in months (although i read daily) and when I do decide to throw a FanShot out there, I misspell the first word of the title. Go Figure.

"You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have." - Keith Hernandez

by OSUmets on Jan 21, 2009 2:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I fixed it for ya.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Jan 21, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He can always self edit as well can't he?

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 21, 2009 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think it would be in the best interest of baseball

I just don’t like the idea of having to compete with the Marlins and Braves on an even playing field.

by Gina on Jan 21, 2009 3:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

No

No no no.

Whenever I speak with people who support this neo-socialist daydream, they fall into one of these categories:

1. NFL fans who think a salary cap created ‘parity’ rather than league-wide mediocrity.
2. Small-market team fans with a chip on their shoulder.
3. Casual fans who think the Yankees win the World Series every year.

In every case, the individual has not thought about the issue in great depth, and as such beleives a salary cap has magic powers. That Jenkins guy obviously gave the issue some thought, but he left out a major point: Baseball is making tons of money right now!

I think MLB, with the .com and the network in place, is raking in over $7 or 8 billion a year. The players make a tiny percentage of that. After other overhead is accounted for, each team makes a pretty penny. I love this.

With a salary cap in place, players will be competing against each other for a limited pile of money, while the owners get to make all they can. I think this is fundamentally unfair. Being the best player in baseball, Poo-Holes or A-Fraud should be allowed to make as much money as possible (or at least as much as the market will allow.)

Another side to the salary cap argument that kills me is my experience with the NFL. No one can keep a good team together! This year the Ravens had a decent team that showed promise (and played over its head three weeks into the playoffs.) But because of the cap, they cannnot keep all their best players. That is unfair to the fans. (Losing a player to free agency is also tough for the fans as well, but at least the ownership has a choice in the matter.)

Anyway, I liked Jenkins’ piece. I hope no one ever seriously considers a salary cap for my beloved MLB.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 21, 2009 3:38 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

“Parity” and “league-wide mediocrity” are two different ways of saying the same thing, depending on whether you like parity or dislike league-wide mediocrity.

by JoshNY on Jan 21, 2009 3:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly.

I think there is a big difference between the Patriots and their 3 Super Bowl victories and the Cowboys or 49ers teams of the 80/90’s. The Niners and the Cowboys were dominant (the Giants, Bills and Skins were also pretty damn good in that era.) The Pats are good, but I don’t know that they are are menacing when compared to teams from the past (they won three SBs by a total of what, nine points?)

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 21, 2009 3:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"That Jenkins guy obviously gave the issue some thought, but he left out a major point: Baseball is making tons of money right now!"

Actually, I think that’s what Jenkins was talking about with this bit at the end of the piece:

This will be a hot issue when the next collective bargaining agreement is hammered out after the 2011 season, and the union will have a choice: Take the NBA route or continue matching parity with golden-age growth. Easy call.

'Oh yes, I know all about that duty-of-a-citizen stuff. It doesn't go. There are exceptions to every rule, and this was one of them. When a man risks his liberty to come and root at a ball-game, you've got to hand it to him. He isn't a crook. He's a fan.'

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jan 21, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He does mention it in a roundabout way here:

Considering the game’s runaway success – a trend that just might survive the economic crisis…

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 21, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Point taken.

By the way, if you are in a conversation with someone who favors salary caps, it is very useful to refer to salary caps as a “communist progrom” or “socialist experiment”. People get real flustered.

Sure, it is also helpful to have facts, but whatever. I didn’t study philosophy in college so I could use facts while arguing in bars!

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 21, 2009 5:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ohhhhhhh

So you’re the Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) of AA heh? :-)

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 21, 2009 5:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

agree with this

one hundred million percent. And in case anyone hasn’t noticed, 8 teams have won the last 9 World Series. If the Steelers win next week, 5 teams will have won the last 8 Super Bowls. 5 teams have won the past 8 NBA Championships. Maybe baseball’s not the one with the parity problem?

by cjmulrain on Jan 22, 2009 12:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

whoops

don’t know why I used 9 years for baseball but 8 for baseball and basketball. The Lakers were in the midst of 3-peating 9 years ago, so it’s still 5 for basketball since 2000, and it’s 6 for football. My point stands though.

by cjmulrain on Jan 22, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Neyer

I think last year Rob Neyer did a breakdown last year going back two decades and included not just campionship winners, but teams that made the playoffs. Baseball has enjoyed more playoff variety than the NFL. MLB’s problem is that it has terrible PR. But whatever because after this year, MLB will be making more money than the NFL.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 22, 2009 8:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yea, I remember that

I think the vast majority of MLB’s problems stem from bad PR. And I blame 99.9% of that on the bumbling buffoon from Milwaukee who’s running the show. He’s done a good job of making the league a lot of money, but I think he’d be better served in a #2 role, with a more decisive, “stronger” (for lack of a better word) individual as the #1.

by cjmulrain on Jan 22, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sort of related

River Ave Blues has an interesting take on the free agent compensation system which itself needs serious revamping.

by Eric Simon on Jan 21, 2009 3:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jenkins - Salary Cap

Mr. Jenkins provided some great ammunition on why the salary cap should be avoided. As far as the Yankees go, I think those that blame the Yankees for attempting to buy World Championships by the acquisition of high priced free agents give the Yankees too much credit.

If I’m not mistaken, Steinbrenner got the Yanks for a steal in 1973 no? He built a ballclub that has earned him 10 pennants and 6 WS titles since his purchase. The remarkable run that he (and the Yanks) had in the late 90’s was built mostly from within, was it not? The enormous popularity that ensued coupled with the prosperous 90’s ensured mass injections of capital.

Due to their history, tradition, pride and the fact that the New York Yankees have a pool of 22 million people in the areas of; New York proper, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to pull from and as a result, inject capital, the Yankees will never have a problem with paying for high-priced talent. Sheer numbers of people prove that fact. If their is one demonstrative advantage that the Yankees have, it’s the volume of people that want to attend their games.

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 21, 2009 5:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

No.

Next question?

by anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 8:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

"Who loves ya' baby?"

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 21, 2009 8:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

meh

thats for the union and the owners to decide. i dont really care. whatever the rules are i just hope the mets management learns how to exploit them to the fullest extent.

HELLO HELLO MR WILPON. WE WANT THE MANSION NOT THE CONDO.

by kendynamo on Jan 21, 2009 11:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I tend to agree

With most of your thoughts about this. Although I kind of wonder if that’s because we support a big market team with the resources to spend on high priced free agents. If the same question were posed to a bunch of intelligent Twins fans or A’s fans, for instance, (who have had a pretty good run of success in the past decade) would we get the same negative reaction toward a salary cap in baseball?

By the way…thanks for editing my post. I was unaware I could edit it after it was posted. I really need to post more to find out all these new technologies!

"You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have." - Keith Hernandez

by OSUmets on Jan 22, 2009 9:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Understand

Yes, I do look at this as a supporter of a big-market team. But I’m a also supporter of a big-market team that has not won the WS since I was 11. I know as well as anyone that teams can’t buy a championship. I would hope that fans in Oakland and Minnesota should also have a keen understanding of this.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 22, 2009 10:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I also hope that those fans would recognize and understand that, I just don’t know that they do.

"You know I am only teasing. I love you gals out there -- always have." - Keith Hernandez

by OSUmets on Jan 22, 2009 10:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Part of the Problem: The Meme

For the most part, it is an uphill battle. There is a very strong meme out there about professional athletes – they are overpaid. For some reason, no one cares if the owner gets richer, but when players get tons of green, it is a crime. Hell. I don’t know what anyone can ever do about that.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 22, 2009 10:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

to be fair

the owner’s have almost all made their money in other ventures first, and running a baseball team is running a large business, which is generally how people get rich. Baseball players are good at a kids game and make a lot of money because of it. There IS a difference there.

by cjmulrain on Jan 22, 2009 2:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

to clarify that

As a staunch capitalist, I don’t have any problem with any of them making their money. But I can understand why people bristle at athletes making a lot of money for playing a game, while not really being upset at owners making a lot of money for running a business.

by cjmulrain on Jan 22, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

OSUmets

Also. Anyone of the fans for those small / medium market teams who bothers to open up a newspaper, connect to the internet, watch sports on t.v. or listen to sports talk radio will learn that the team (Tampa Bay rays) w/the second lowest payroll in 2008 made it to the World Series. Interestingly enough, the Colorado Rockies made it to the 2007 World Series and had a similar payroll situation.

As far as IanB in MD’s (God love him) opinion of the argument about players being overpaid as opposed to the owners is concerned, he and I will agree to disagree on that 365 days out of a year. I think both labor AND management are overpaid. But we’ve argued the point ad infinitum and there’s no point in re-hashing it here.

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 22, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

God love me, indeed!

Agree to disagree. That’s fair. A-Rod gets a bunch of money just to play a game, and it seems unfair on a cosmic level. I get that. However, I don’t have a problem with people making money for what is pretty much entertainment and amusement.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Jan 22, 2009 2:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Received.

" PLEASE! CHANGE THE PATCH! "

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jan 22, 2009 4:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jenkins does make some great points

I’ve also noticed that the NBA is incredibly top-heavy. From 1989 to 2005 (a 17-year period), only five different teams won an NBA title. And four of those teams (the Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, and Lakers) were in cities with huge markets. So perhaps the salary cap really hasn’t worked that well for them.

"When the little children start to speak they once said 'Mama' and 'Papa', but with the fans we got they say the first thing, 'Metsie, Metsie, Metsie'." - Casey Stengel

by Prince on Jan 23, 2009 11:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not to mention

but every few years, teams basically shout ‘uncle’ and junk their roster in order to have even a chance at signing a big-ticket free agent. Look at how many teams are more or less punting two seasons in order to have the cap space to offer Lebron James a max deal in 2010. It’s bad for competition, having so many teams assemble rosters like that. And don’t even get me started on tanking to get a better lottery pick.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Jan 23, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the problem for basketball

is that in a sport where 1 player can be the difference between the lottery and the championship, that stuff is gonna happen, no matter what. It’s a fundamental flaw built into the game, and there’s no real way to fix it. I still love the game itself, but that’s just the way it is.

by cjmulrain on Jan 24, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No to the salary cap.
It doesn’t work…the only place I think it would work is the Premier League.
NHL,NBA and NFL caps don’t work at all.
And besides…whos actually succeeded in buying a World Series?
The succesful Yankees teams weren’t bought mercenaries like they are today.
And I dont see the Yankees winning it all this coming season…in fact I would go as far to say that roster wise they still arent in the top 5 teams on paper

by Ohpityme on Jan 24, 2009 5:39 AM EST reply actions 0 recs