This is the key, for me. There are few players who are legitimately "difference makers," either on the field or in terms of attracting attendance. For everyone else, a rising prospect is a "cheap" and close substitute, so it's not worth paying a lot more than the basic wage. This is basic economics and I think that some of the analytics have demonstrated this to GMs. The players can rant and rave, but they can't really change the economic laws of nature any more than Ford or Chrysler can return to the days of the 1960s when there were no substitutes for their unreliable gas-guzzlers.