MLB 2014 season thread

MLBPA and the owners, genius.

 

It looks like there are perfectly viable solutions all over the place, and the Astros just found one.

Fuck the Pittsburgh Pirates if they can't think.

 

The Pirates offered Polanco a similar deal, and he turned it down.

 

Exactly. And teams are abusing a loophole in the system, but it ends up being an issue for both sides.

Of course, baseball apologists like LTL can never admit anything is less than perfect.

 

OK, so Polanco got an offer and turned it down.

That sounds like a pretty standard way of doing business to me. He obviously thinks it's a better route for him to go year-by-year and hit the post-arbitration jackpot.

That is an individual choice and not evidence of a problem in baseball's economics. For competent teams, this is not a problem.

 

Never failing to be the baseball apologist.

Actually, it is the players being treated unfairly here, but you were too busy sucking up to almighty MLB to even try to understand the point.

Singleton was clearly kept in the minors longer than he should have been, just as Polanco has been and many players before him. They shouldn't have to accept an extension for what they believe to be below their eventual market value to get the call to the majors once they have earned it. And anybody who takes an honest look at the deal Longoria signed early on with the Rays knows exactly how badly one of these deals can work out for the player.

Of course, this is also yet another built-in advantage for the large-market teams. They don't have to be as conscious of pinching pennies.

Not that you would ever admit to any of that.

 

You should just stop watching baseball.

But then if you stopped participating in things that bring you no joy, there would be nothing for you to do.

 

Wrong again, but that's normal for you on this subject. I love baseball. I don't allow my opinion of its failings to keep me from enjoying the game.

Unlike you, I don't need to imagine the sports I love are perfect to enjoy them. I can watch them and still point to ways they could be better.

 

If any player does not want to be beholden to such a system, they could negotiate as such in their original contract.

 

Not familiar with the ins and outs of the standard minor league contract (or to what degree the "standard" contract is malleable) ... Other than the bonus amount, do minor league deals vary that much?

 

They used to be able to get major-league deals, which didn't get them service time immediately but put them on the 40-man and started the option clock immediately. I believe the most recent CBA took care of that.

You can definitely get it put into your deal that you must be on the 40-man after a certain amount of time.

 

Isn't that what the Rule 5 draft is for?