Dodgers continue to add

[SteveLV]

Sasaki and now Scott.

Sheesh, payroll is going to quintuple the Twin's (effectively factoring in deferred value).  It almost seems like they are daring MLB to actually do something and implement a Salary Cap and some parity.  Hope something gets done as it is more and more the Haves and Have Nots in MLB.

*Whine over*

[ChermesZ]

With this situation...

 

I now say good-bye to MLB. 

I do not care who the new owner is.

I do not care what the Twins payroll is.

I do not care who plays on the Twins or any other team.

Baseball is broken.  Big Pharma (Dodgers) has won.

ChermesZ signing off.

[tony&rodney]

Seems like MLB has some rather stringent rules in place for deferred money but I have not seen it since the last CBA. If teams could just defer money easily, this could potentially lead to some bankruptcy problems down the road with all of the other teams on the hook.

The larger issue is revenue from media deals. No league can exist without teams to play each other and thus the revenue from all teams should be shared. The current system is (crudely) akin to some trucking companies only allowed to use county roads, other companies using county and state roads, and a few companies allowed to use ships, barges, airplanes, trains, freeways, state, and county transportation.

Caps and penalties for going over the CBT are clearly unimportant. Fans from major markets point to cheap ownership refusing to invest, but a payroll beyond total revenue is clearly not tenable. 

The competitive nature of athletics and individuals competing to earn huge wages means that baseball will continue to hold interest but the Dodgers are using the rules to put it to other teams. It is incredible ironic that the LAD mastermind is a former Tampa Bay Rays employee, a team that is forced to squeeze every dollar bill.

[Danchat]

The ridiculous disparity between payrolls in baseball has been a big factor in why I've lost passion in the game the past few years. The Dodgers have been to the playoffs 12 years in a row and 7 times have made it to the semifinals. 

[Jocko87]

At this point I think the Dodgers are just trying to break everything on purpose. Everyone knows it’s broken but sometimes it needs to be laid bare how bad it could be.

I’m also kinda curious about the history of the overseas free agents rules. Who pushed the carve out for 21-25 when that is such an obvious age for carnage?

[nicksaviking]

4 years 72M for an inconsistent reliever with poor command.

Remind me again why anybody would want to buy a mid or small market team again? With this insurmountable disparity, is it really to try to win a championship?

[C-Gangster]

7 hours ago, ChermesZ said:

With this situation...

 

I now say good-bye to MLB. 

I do not care who the new owner is.

I do not care what the Twins payroll is.

I do not care who plays on the Twins or any other team.

Baseball is broken.  Big Pharma (Dodgers) has won.

ChermesZ signing off.

What a optimistic and cheerful comment.

[SteveLV]

15 minutes ago, C-Gangster said:

What a optimistic and cheerful comment.

He is neither. 

I'm not, either.  They are ruining the sport.

[mnfireman]

Head over to MLBTR and vote. It won't change anything, but it at least shows what major market teams are doing in regards to payroll, deferred contracts, etc... is not going unnoticed on the national level.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/poll-would-you-trade-the-2027-mlb-season-for-a-salary-cap.html

[Mike Sixel]

The problem is the teams that don't try, that don't spend. Pittsburgh and Baltimore really come to mind this year....

I'd there a revenue issue? Yes. Is it so big that so many teams don't spend at all? No. 

[The Great Hambino]

The time has come for the players to accept a salary cap.  80% of the league already treats the luxury tax as a cap as it is, so they might as well get some concessions from the owners (salary floor, shorter arb period, higher minimum salaries, etc) while they're at it.

[Twodogs]

I think the Dodgers are going to push the envelope far beyond anything possible hoping that it'll all come crashing down with MLB in the future.  They want a strike and everything bad to happen at some point hoping that all will be forgiven for a starting over point.  I mean if a cap comes into play at some point how do they account for the 690 million or whatever they deferred for Ohtani?  They will be paying probably 1/4th of their cap space on a player that doesnt play anymore?  How would they accomplish that? You know they are trying to break the system.  And win as many world series titles as possible before it happens!

[Vanimal46]

53 minutes ago, Twodogs said:

I think the Dodgers are going to push the envelope far beyond anything possible hoping that it'll all come crashing down with MLB in the future.  They want a strike and everything bad to happen at some point hoping that all will be forgiven for a starting over point.  I mean if a cap comes into play at some point how do they account for the 690 million or whatever they deferred for Ohtani?  They will be paying probably 1/4th of their cap space on a player that doesnt play anymore?  How would they accomplish that? You know they are trying to break the system.  And win as many world series titles as possible before it happens!

Why Rob Manfred didn’t intervene immediately and say you’re absolutely not allowed to defer 98% of Ohtani’s salary is beyond me. 

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Why Rob Manfred didn’t intervene immediately and say you’re absolutely not allowed to defer 98% of Ohtani’s salary is beyond me. 

Manfred is going to go down as a poor commissioner. He is an idle paycheck. When he acts or speaks it is usually not in the best interest of baseball (using a super ball, ghost runners, etc.).

[Craig Arko]

14 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Manfred is going to go down as a poor commissioner. He is an idle paycheck. When he acts or speaks it is usually not in the best interest of baseball (using a super ball, ghost runners, etc.).

Idle, but probably substantial, paycheck. Cries all the way to the bank, I imagine. 

[Danchat]

And they got Yates too. Ugh.

[Mike Sixel]

33 minutes ago, Danchat said:

And they got Yates too. Ugh.

Anyone could have signed Yates. This is on other teams

[Danchat]

22 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Anyone could have signed Yates. This is on other teams

Right, I'm not making the argument that the Dodgers are the primary issue here. The whole system is broken as so many teams refuse to spend money and allow the top teams to sign the majority of the best FAs. Just wish it could be like the NFL.

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, Danchat said:

Right, I'm not making the argument that the Dodgers are the primary issue here. The whole system is broken as so many teams refuse to spend money and allow the top teams to sign the majority of the best FAs. Just wish it could be like the NFL.

The NFL isn't perfect, but most teams try to win, their lack of success is bad luck and bad decisions.... MLB is filled with teams that will not spend money and try to win. 

[mnfireman]

And waiting on the numbers for Kirby Yates contract...

[mnfireman]

[Vanimal46]

18 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Hey now, 1 of those players will go to the Yankees. 1 will go to the Red Sox, and 1 more will go to the Mets. The rest is 100% true 

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, mnfireman said:

The Dodgers will be looking for a 2B, 3B, SS, and an outfielder next year, so Guerrero, Cease, and Tucker fit nicely into the roster provided they are fine with a few deferrals.