Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
October 27, 2008
Liberty Versus Money

John Brattain at The Hardball Times offers good advice to the MLBPA:

Their job is to protect the players and their freedom and not the salary bar. The organization has forgotten this, and it's the players who will pay (and are paying) the price. It's time for the MLBPA to get back to protecting the players. If the game is enjoying high revenues, the player marketplace is free and open and the union is solidly united, then salaries will continue to enjoy healthy increase.

What will prevent this from happening is a union lacking consensus. We've seen it in the NFLPA, NBAPA and NHLPA. Fight for money and they will be divided since only a few truly benefit; fight for freedom and everybody is on board because everybody benefits.

This is why I don't understand why people were so upset with Mark Ellis. He received the money he wanted to play where he wanted. If Orlando Hudson wants $10 million a year for his skills, then he has every right to ask for it and every right not to play if no one is willing to pay him. Ellis' contract made him happy. That's all that matters.


Posted by David Pinto at 01:37 PM | Union | TrackBack (0)
Comments

If owners were smart (well, we can dream(, they would follow Charlie Finley's idea that all players should be free agents. The larger supply of players would flood the market and drive down prices.

The union's concern is that any player who signs early at a lower pirce (even if as a home town happiness dscount) sets the market price lower for each free agent contract to follow. So, the ideal MLBPA position is for a Scott Boras to sign an ARod early and set the bar for future contracts (and arbitration) in comparison.

Posted by: Bob Tufts at October 27, 2008 07:10 PM
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