moonslav59

I didn't mean to imply baseball hides money better than other sports. My point was about how easy it is to manipulate the numbers to make it appear as if things are different. As for arb existence, I'm not sure what is best, but my point was that if players were smart, they'd push for a plan that greatly raises the pay for the majority of players and not the select few (not that both cannot occur). My guess would be that forcing small market-small spending teams to spend more would be a big step. Maybe more profit sharing by big clubs would be needed- maybe not. Raising the minimum pay by $500K would not put anyone out of business. Maybe step it up by $100K every year for the length of the new CBA. Maybe give significant step raises to second year and 3rd year players, but if you make that too steep, teams may cut them over their pay raises. Becoming a FA earlier would help players get paid more, but I think the arb process works pretty well. Maybe jjust start it a year or two earlier. 5-10 players getting mega deals every winter might bring up players' average wages, but if the vast majority of players keep getting the same, I doubt they stand for that system much longer.

Unless Henry explicitly said, "Don't go over," or "Don't go over by more than $3M." If the plan is not to go over, our options are severely limited. - We can try to trade for a low-cost relief pitcher by further emptying our farm. - We can trade a starter or two like Johnson, Velazquez and add Swihart to try to get a low-cost RP'er. - We can trade away some salary and open a gap somewhere else to fill the pen gap. (Nunez, Moreland, Leon, Thornburg or UGH! Porcello) - We can wait until mid season and trade for a pro-rated contract or two or get the team to pitch in some contract money by sweetening the return. If the plan is to go over by a little bit only, then we have a few more options. - We can do an above option. - We can sign a guy like Shawn Kelley for $4-5M x 1. - We can do both.

Shell companies handle concessions and memorabilia sales. Just the sky-rocketing rise in the value of each team, although not hidden, is perhaps the biggest cash cow owners reap. Teams may claim to lose or make $10M a year for 10 years, then the owner sells the team for a $500M profit. The players see none of that money.

Top and good players getting paid through free agency is a vast minority of all the players in MLB. We are seeing record arb contracts and the minimum pay went up some in the last CBA. My point is, if the players were smart, they'd push for a big min pay raise, a 26 man roster, more money for players going up and down from the minors, and a better ab system- maybe reaching it a year earlier. That would help the majority of players and not the select few who make big paydays when they reach free agency. They could also push for a high minimum budget for all teams. That would NOT help the teams like NYY, BOS, LAD & Chic. Don't be so sure the next CBA is going to help big teams. The last one has caused some teams to reset and has made it much harder for rich and winning teams to build their farms. It could get worse- not better.

Remember the hype on Torreyes?

Unless we are allowed to go $40M over (or more), we have about $4M to spend, according to cots.

I'm glad we brought Pearce back, but had we any faith in Chavis vs LHPs at 1B, we really could have probably used Pearce's $6.25M for the pen.

If we pay him $5M, we may send someone like ______ packing to save some salary. $2.5M Leon (I hope not) $1.8M Thornburg

Probably true, but there are times when a team not reported to be in the hunt for a FA suddenly signs them out of the blue.

124 RP'ers with 160+ IP since 2015 WHIP Leaders 0.80 Jansen 0.87 Miller 0.92 Osuna 0.94 Devenski 0.94 Kimbrel 0.99 Neshek 1.00 Harris 1.01 Davis 1.02 Diaz 1.02 Strop 1.04 Robertson 1.04 Shawn Kelley 1.05 Chapman 1.05 O'Day K-BB% 33 Jansen 32 Miller 31 Kimbrel 31 Diaz 29 Chapman 29 Betances 25 Yates 24 Knebel 24 Robertson 24 Osuna 24 Giles 24 O'Day 23 Shawn Kelly 23 Hand 22 Devenski 22 C Allen He ranks 12th and 13th in a couple pretty meaningful areas. His 10.6 K/9 rate ranks 24th out of 124. His downfall is the HR. He ranks 122nd out of 124 at 1.56.

WHIP Shawn Kelley 1.09 2015 (51 IP) 0.89 2016 (58 IP) 1.54 2017 (26 IP) 0.90 2018 (49 IP) Joe Kelly 1.44 2015 (134 IP as SP'er) 1.70 2016 (40 IP) 1.19 2017 (58 IP) 1.36 2018 (66 IP) Cody Allen 1.17 2015 (69 IP) 1.00 2016 (68 IP) 1.16 2017 (67 IP) 1.36 2018 (67 IP)

Just like the old days. They lay back and then swoop.

Maybe SK and a trade.

Bets on who the mystery team is? SF? NY? STL? LAA?

$11.5 is a lot of money for the Pirates, and it has nothing to do with luxury taxes. They will likely trade him, even if they are in a race for the playoffs. I just hope it's not to us.

Are more players making less of just the top players, right now? Using dropping average can be deceiving.

That's not was I was asking. Why do you assume the results of the new CBA will help the big teams. Players could demand higher pay for the little guys, a better arb process and a system that forces the smaller teams to pay more not for the big teams to pay more. A new CBA that helps the small to middle teams would likely help more players than one that helps just the big spenders.

Very well said.

So much of baseball revenue and value can and is be easily hidden.

Could the secret team be the Yanks?

A fair assessment, but what makes you think the new CBA will make it easier for big spending teams?

Well, we are worse than the Yanks but should be paid more. Is that accurate?

He's a slave to WAR and Steamer. He's pretty consistent in that sense, but he often cherry picks sample size of past WAR vs projected WAR based on what supports his argument better (not like we all don't do that from time to time).

Too funny, our players suck when compared to the Yankees, but they will get top FA dollars because they are so great!

What? Like there will be no money left over after signing Bogey and letting Sale, JD & Porcello go?