Scott Blewett, MLB’s DFA Problem, and Potential Solutions

[DJL44]

41 minutes ago, Jacksson said:

The team roster should be at least 30 players till May 1st due to the frequency of "Spring" injuries that seem to befall players.

Do you want the Dodgers and Yankees to be able to hoard the 30 best players they can pay instead of just hoarding the best 26 players they can pay? That's over 100 extra players who aren't available to the team at the bottom of the standings. Do you want 15 (or more) pitchers on the roster so your starters go 3-4 innings routinely?

Roster limits help the worst teams get better because the top teams can't hoard all of the talent.

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

I would be curious from his point of view if the multiple organizations might actually help someone build contacts and a network that can lead to an actual non-playing career in baseball.  Especially catchers that seem to become coaches at a higher rate.  In my professional career, changing organizations has opened my eyes to many things a gold watch would never do.  It wasn’t intentional but incredibly valuable. 

There’s a lot of opportunity in baseball outside playing.  Many of these guys probably know they don’t quite have it but there is still a chance to never have to punch a time clock, so to speak. 

Definitely -- networking is as significant in MLB as it is in other professions. Sometimes it's more about who you know than what you know. Being in the right place at the right time is huge.

He didn't want to go back to the minors as a coach, so he didn't pursue that, but he felt very connected. Those connections certainly helped him get picked up as a player, given that he had a positive reputation as a good guy to to have in the organization. A person who was a finalist for a managerial job (but didn't get it) told the friend that if he got the job, he wanted the friend on staff. 

[Bodie]

Balderdash!

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, Jacksson said:

Lower revenue teams should have a higher(Currently 40 man roster limit) that high revenue teams to allow them greater flexibility when it comes to developing and retaining players.

A. They effectively do, as a free agent acquisition cannot be optioned. Meaning high payroll teams have less roster flexibility than a team filled with a bunch of pre-arb guys. 

B. When did people start calling teams high/low revenue? Seems a very poor descriptor since the team has a say in that. Twins are low revenue right now because they are a terrible organization and no one wants to watch them. Whereas they could be a high revenue team if they ever got their **** together. 

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Do you want the Dodgers and Yankees to be able to hoard the 30 best players they can pay instead of just hoarding the best 26 players they can pay? That's over 100 extra players who aren't available to the team at the bottom of the standings. Do you want 15 (or more) pitchers on the roster so your starters go 3-4 innings routinely?

Roster limits help the worst teams get better because the top teams can't hoard all of the talent.

Also helps prevent each team from having 4-5 DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.'s on the roster they use as pinch runners once a week.

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Do you want the Dodgers and Yankees to be able to hoard the 30 best players they can pay instead of just hoarding the best 26 players they can pay? That's over 100 extra players who aren't available to the team at the bottom of the standings. Do you want 15 (or more) pitchers on the roster so your starters go 3-4 innings routinely?

Roster limits help the worst teams get better because the top teams can't hoard all of the talent.

 

16 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Also helps prevent each team from having 4-5 DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.'s on the roster they use as pinch runners once a week.

10 man pen and enough guys to platoon 6 lineup spots?! That is stuff of nightmares.

[DocBauer]

I've stated previously...including in an OP a couple weeks ago of almost exactly the same content...that I'm OK with MLB going to a 28 man roster like they had for most of the covid season. I thought it was a nice balance and could provide another couple jobs and might mitigate this "problem" of roster churn a bit, if such a problem really exists.

And I have ZERO problem with players receiving 7 days service time every time time they're claimed. We pretty much all have a "work week" and so do MLB players. If players and their families really are made to suffer from living a dream, and traveling 1st class for free, and staying in the best hotels and eating at great restaurants, and getting paid $4600 per ML game, then give them a weeks worth of service time for a "down the road" reward. But don't do things that will actually limit their opportunity to be claimed and make that extra $ and chase their dream.

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

They're using the system rather than abusing it in my opinion

This is an important distinction. I don't believe the article is insinuating malfeasance but it very important not to confuse the two.

Just like there's no such thing as a tax loophole, it's either fraud or filing, how we want to write the rules is a different question.

In this case, the union negotiated this situation and I reckon they aren't terribly unhappy with it. Accruing service time and $4600 a day while waiting for the next place to go play baseball is a horrible way to go through life.

[purplesoldier4u]

9 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Looking for a problem to solve, here. There is no real issue here. Blewett is a AAAA pitcher who is getting the opportunity to play in MLB.

You're misleading people by making up impacts that don't exist. MLB players do not move their families when they get traded mid season, and players like Blewett have their family (if they have the wife/kids situation) based in a singular location. It boils down to him having a job where he travels a lot. Maybe we need to address this catastrophic travel situation with airline pilots who are away from home and they have to move their family to every location they spend the night. It's tragic. Every night, Delta Airlines pilot, John Smith, is forced to relocate his family to another random city Delta has him flying to. Think of the children!!!!!

Blewett can choose to quit baseball any time he wants. Scott Blewett is a 29 year old chasing his dream of playing MLB. He gets paid $750k / year while he's on an MLB roster. At AAA, housing, meals, per diem, travel, and $50k per year is provided by the team.

With the kind of guard rails you want to put into place, Blewett would never make anybody's 40 man roster, and you would have killed his dream.

I agree 100%! Some of us have worked jobs that move us all over the country, and some all over the planet. As someone who had done that, for a little while, it was tiring, but without the perks of an MLB player. I bet there are many low-level, no future MiLB players that would gladly trade places with him.

[FargoFanMan]

11 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Looking for a problem to solve, here. There is no real issue here. Blewett is a AAAA pitcher who is getting the opportunity to play in MLB.

You're misleading people by making up impacts that don't exist. MLB players do not move their families when they get traded mid season, and players like Blewett have their family (if they have the wife/kids situation) based in a singular location. It boils down to him having a job where he travels a lot. Maybe we need to address this catastrophic travel situation with airline pilots who are away from home and they have to move their family to every location they spend the night. It's tragic. Every night, Delta Airlines pilot, John Smith, is forced to relocate his family to another random city Delta has him flying to. Think of the children!!!!!

Blewett can choose to quit baseball any time he wants. Scott Blewett is a 29 year old chasing his dream of playing MLB. He gets paid $750k / year while he's on an MLB roster. At AAA, housing, meals, per diem, travel, and $50k per year is provided by the team.

With the kind of guard rails you want to put into place, Blewett would never make anybody's 40 man roster, and you would have killed his dream.

I agree! Problems that don’t need to be solved. MLB players only get paid during the actual season. In those 2 weeks that he jumped around he made as much as if not more than us 9-5ers make in a year. And he’s playing professional baseball for a living. The MLBPA makes sure these guys don’t get short handed. He’s not suffering aside from “having” to play for 3 different Major League Baseball teams in 2 weeks. Plus not paying for any flights, getting that relocation bonus and incentives in the realm of what most of us would be great full as a Christmas bonus and getting to see and play for MLB teams most of us would kill to have done. Sucks but I don’t feel any remorse. Let’s get real here. 

[FargoFanMan]

10 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I agree with you.  It reminds me of Curt Flood and the lack of respect for the individual's personal needs.  This has nothing to do with what they are paid - all professional athletes in the majors are overpaid, but rather the human aspect.  

Agree!!!!! It’s a job. A job that pays them well and they are taken care of every step of the way. The human element is he’s fortunate enough to play professional baseball for a living. The guy is 29. Could have easily washed out by now and been selling cars for a living. He’s not though. He’s playing in a professional sports league making as much in 2 weeks as most do in a year. If he’s complaining he can retire at any point if it’s such a strain on him as a “human”. For all the people “thumbs downing” every rational persons thoughts and feeling sorry for a professional athlete living his dream and making damn good money every day doing it you are pathetic. Drive yourself to downtown Minneapolis a join a protest and stop worrying about these guys. They don’t worry about you. Scott Blewitt and his family are fine. These guys are professional athletes and don’t want your pity.

[FargoFanMan]

10 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Any problems you have outlined can be solved by raising the minimum salary. You don't need to get cute with waiver claim bonuses or extra housing. Just raise wages. The MLB minimum should be closer to $1M.

Oh yeah, so the guy makes $70,000 in 2 weeks instead of $50,000. What are you people talking about? This guy is living a dream and your pity is falling on no one. These guys are living a life long dream. They can quit at any moment if it’s so tough being a professional athlete. The MLBPA is taking care of these guys. Come on people.

[FargoFanMan]

10 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

I don't think the MLBPA cares at all about the plight of AAAA barely hanging on players like Blewitt.  Their concern is the regulars.

Dude is making almost $5k being on the mlb roster. He’s fine.

[FargoFanMan]

1 hour ago, purplesoldier4u said:

I agree 100%! Some of us have worked jobs that move us all over the country, and some all over the planet. As someone who had done that, for a little while, it was tiring, but without the perks of an MLB player. I bet there are many low-level, no future MiLB players that would gladly trade places with him.

Exactly, I used to have to travel all over the country making $1900 a week which was good money for my profession. These guys are making over twice as much. Cry me a river. Just like I could they can quit at any time if it’s so tough. Every AAA player would gladly trade spots with a guy like Blewitt. 

[FargoFanMan]

@Cody Christie come on man. Trying to solve problems that don’t exist? Or just putting fodder down on paper? I guess you got a reaction and that’s probably all you were looking for in the end. Can you write a real article please? Maybe tell us what’s happening with Walker Jenkins and when he’ll be back. Or how Matt Wallner is progressing instead of all these speculative and chaff articles that don’t amount to anything but chatter.

[Bodie]

12 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Also helps prevent each team from having 4-5 DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.'s on the roster they use as pinch runners once a week.

No, that is called "the end of the bench", and there will always be someone getting almost no time. 

 

Unless you want a team with no set line up and no regular positions. Wait...

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, Bodie said:

No, that is called "the end of the bench", and there will always be someone getting almost no time. 

 

Unless you want a team with no set line up and no regular positions. Wait...

Not sure what you're disagreeing about here? I'm not worried about DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. I just don't think having 4-5 guys hoarded on a 30 man active roster who don't get a chance to play is fair to the players who are team controlled. It doesn't have to be position players, either, as others have eluded to.

What if the roster was 30? Do the Twins return Eiberson Castellano (0.90 ERA, 2.43 FIP in AA right now) or do they just put him on the bench and play him once a month while they coach him up and shield him from other teams who might be interested? The reason the 40 man and 26 man rosters exist is for the benefit of players, not teams. It's to prevent teams from hoarding talent and manipulating team control.

Guys who are in the situation Blewett is in are very rare birds. There are literally 1,000 players on MLB rosters every year. Of all those players, like 5 guys are in this situation.

Want a REALLY REALLY prime example? Brent Rooker. Rooker was treated like Blewett. If KC could have kept him on the "30 man" and just let him sit on the bench using him as a pinch hitter once a week, what would have happened? Dude just landed a 5yr $60MM contract after being an All Star. This year he's a dark horse MVP candidate. He would have remained a nobody, probably forever without the roster rules we have.

[JD-TWINS]

22 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Looking for a problem to solve, here. There is no real issue here. Blewett is a AAAA pitcher who is getting the opportunity to play in MLB.

You're misleading people by making up impacts that don't exist. MLB players do not move their families when they get traded mid season, and players like Blewett have their family (if they have the wife/kids situation) based in a singular location. It boils down to him having a job where he travels a lot. Maybe we need to address this catastrophic travel situation with airline pilots who are away from home and they have to move their family to every location they spend the night. It's tragic. Every night, Delta Airlines pilot, John Smith, is forced to relocate his family to another random city Delta has him flying to. Think of the children!!!!!

Blewett can choose to quit baseball any time he wants. Scott Blewett is a 29 year old chasing his dream of playing MLB. He gets paid $750k / year while he's on an MLB roster. At AAA, housing, meals, per diem, travel, and $50k per year is provided by the team.

With the kind of guard rails you want to put into place, Blewett would never make anybody's 40 man roster, and you would have killed his dream.

Absolutely agree.

What does a “ten day minimum prior to release after claimed” do for “families and upheaval?” ………. every 16 games on a MLB roster is $76,000 for the player….., there should be “counseling” for these guys?

The players union can do whatever the players body wants to do to support their members - the guys on the fringe - with funds and whatever relocation services they want to provide, etc. etc. ……they aren’t being treated like migrant workers!

The players are getting an opportunity and at some point, if good enough. they will stick with a club. Free agents at the end of the season and can pursue a deal with whatever organization that is interested……they aren’t stuck in some feudal system.

To your point, searching for a problem.

The probable solution is to let Teams keep more guys w/o options via some loophole, and then some teams stockpiling fringe guys and signing them to more lucrative Minor League deals & then tipping the balance of talent/fairness.