Twins, Joe Ryan Agree to Face-Saving Deal to Avoid Arbitration

[The Great Hambino]

1 hour ago, Thumbs Down Guy said:

After reading the article and the comments I got to wondering: would there  be some kind of competitive advantage for the big revenue teams to allow/encourage higher arbitration salaries? They could easily absorb these increases while putting pressure on the teams in the lower third of the pay scale. Like I said, I am just wondering and would like to hear any other opinions.

Interesting thought, but my initial reaction is no.

The teams at the very top would certainly benefit from this, but any team outside the super-rich would eventually.   Take an upper-middle-class team like, say, the Giants.  The strain that rising arbitration costs would put on them would widen the gap between themselves and, say, the Dodgers, and that's more detrimental to their chances at competing than whatever advantage they would gain from the additional strain put on, say, the Marlins.  In other words, all but the most elite revenue teams would be hurt more than they were helped by this effect.  And I don't think there's enough teams in that elite category to drive arbitration salaries higher in a meaningful way

Good thought experiment

[mikelink45]

Not a comment on the deal, but a general disgust with the business of baseball - inflated salaries, owners playing games with fan loyalty.

$6 illion - $13 million  - it means nothing to me.  To unrealistic for a social security senior.  But I don't care about the money - they have - they spend it.  Fine.  

But we are coming to a point where we need soccer leagues - the champion division and the hopefuls.