harmony

Should the owners get richer at a faster pace than the players whom the public pays to watch? Over the past decade MLB revenues have risen 67 percent while the average salary has increased 52 percent, according to this Sports Illustrated article: https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/01/11/free-agency-hot-stove-slow-pace Should owners get an increasingly larger slice of the revenue pie?

What about the owners whose revenues have outpaced player salaries over the past decade?

Those are the risks management takes after paying a player such as Mookie Betts the league minimum for two years and then a less-than-market salary for four years (for most players it's three years and three years). What percentage of players who sign professional contracts make it to the Major Leagues? What percentage of players who make it to the Major Leagues make it to the six years of MLB service required for free agency? The rare free agent cashes in on a system that suppresses salaries for the vast, vast majority of valuable players. It's a system agreed upon by management and the players union.

I get it. Many opposing fans despised Pedro Martinez for being the best at his job (although I've always held Martinez in the highest regard).

The discussion went off the rails when terrorism, organized crime and Bernie Madoff redirected the conversation. I've limited my points to baseball.

It was wrong enough that management and the players union agreed to amend the Collective Bargaining Agreement to forbid the practice.

Players and their agents enter contracts for the representation. Either side can sue for breach of contract. Scott Boras lost his grievance against Carlos Beltran even though Beltran hired a different agent four months before the expiration of his contract with Boras. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/03/26/scott-boras-grievance-carlos-beltran-robinson-cano-switching-agents/6934915/

You're probably being too harsh on management.

The Red Sox have "continued to thrive" financially. Does that raise ethical issues? Was it ethical for the Red Sox to stash the contracts of Rusney Castillo and Allen Craig off the 40-man roster in order to avoid luxury tax consequences? The moves were legal under the Collective Bargaining Agreement at the time but would not be permitted under the revised CBA. Do the Red Sox have any ethical obligation to the 30-year-old Castillo, who is effectively barred from pursuing his career at the MLB level?

I have a great appreciation of an effective analogy. That's not one. A player, through his agent, can refuse to deal with any team just as any team can decline to pursue any player. The (limited) free market, at least theoretically, should arrive at appropriate contracts.

I have a great appreciation of an effective metaphor. Others have offered similar sentiments using less colorful language. Scott Boras is probably the most scrutinized player agent in sports: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2017/09/25/the-worlds-most-powerful-sports-agents-2017/#47f68e811086 Teams can refuse to do business with unethical business partners but the Boras Corporation continues to thrive.

Here is a more complete story about Scott Boras and his "pawn shop" statement: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/scott-boras-marlins-turned-pawn-shop/story?id=51770998 When was the last time the media disseminated a statement directly attributed to Scott Boras? I suspect Boras is busy negotiating the best deals for his clients (just as front offices are negotiating the best deals for their teams).

Agents and MLB front offices have professionals who understand each other's positions. The sides avoid poisoning the well, such as labeling the adversary "Bora$$" or telling him "I hope he enjoys not contending for a division championship and not contending for a ring."* We leave that to unprofessional fans. * especially from a club, with three first-place finishes and three last-place finishes in the last six years, that is barely projected among in the top quarter of 2018 teams: http://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=ALL&teamid=3

I would not be surprised if Dave Dombrowski has already made that offer and that J.D. Martinez has rejected it because the top free agent hitter has better offers. Absent collusion, the team that signs J.D. Martinez is likely to overpay. The Red Sox might not want to be that team.

With $48 million remaining on his contract, Mark Melancon's health is critical. If Melancon fails to rebound from the 2017 injuries, the contract remains under water. If Melancon has a great year the veteran may opt out with only two years and $28 million remaining on his contract (according to the Cot's spread sheet for the Giants). Sam Dyson, who led the Giants in saves last year, would be the San Francisco closer with competition from Hunter Strickland, Adam Warren and Will Smith, who is returning from an injury. Steamer600, which assumes 600 plate appearances for each hitter and 65 innings for each reliever, projects 2018 WAR of 2.6 for Aaron Hicks, 0.8 for Jacoby Ellsbury, 0.2 for Adam Warren and 0.6 for Mark Melancon. ZiPS projects 2018 WAR of 1.9 in 423 plate appearances for Hicks, 1.3 in 473 plate appearances for Ellsbury, 1.0 in 60 innings for Warren and 1.1 in 50 innings for Melancon. The Giants' Spring Training facility is located in Scottsdale, where Ellsbury reportedly lives in the offseason.

I've proposed: Three years of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury at $68.5 million One year of righthander Adam Warren with a 2018 salary of $3.315 million Two years of center fielder Aaron Hicks with a 2018 salary of $2.825 million for Three years of reliever Mark Melancon at $48 million One or two years of DH / third baseman Pablo Sandoval at the league minimum Replacing Ellsbury’s contract with Melancon’s, the Yankees save roughly $7 million AAV over the next three seasons. Melancon and Warren swap bullpens while the Giants fill out their outfield with Ellsbury and Hicks. The Yanks also shed the combined 2018 salaries of $6.14 million for Warren and Hicks. The trade would leave the Yankees with an outfield of Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge with Clint Frazier, Estevan Florial, Billy McKinney and Jake Cave waiting in the wings. Three years of Melancon could provide insurance against the potential departure of David Robertson, another converted closer, when the latter's contract expires after this season. Robertson and Melancon are right-handed relievers, born 11 days apart, selected by the Yankees in the 2006 draft (along with Dellin Betances). Pablo Sandoval, a wild card at the league minimum, is a DFA candidate but could serve as a DH option or play third base until the touted prospects are ready. With no designated hitter and the recent addition of Evan Longoria, the Giants have no room for Sandoval. Then again, the Yankees might not have room for Sandoval on their 40-man roster. The Giants would field a lineup of C Buster Posey, 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Evan Longoria, LF Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Aaron Hicks and RF Hunter Pence to go with a shallow starting rotation impressively topped by Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. The keys, of course, are the off-setting salaries of Ellsbury and Melancon, who each have full no-trade clauses. I don’t know the status of Sandoval’s limited no-trade clause.

Jackie Bradley has posted 9.8 fWAR, valued at $77.9 million, over the past three seasons. FanGraphs Depth Charts and Steamer project Bradley with 2018 WAR of 3.2 in 630 plate appearances and 3.0 in 571 plate appearances. Bradley remains a bargain at a 2018 salary of $6.1 million. Mookie Betts has posted 18.2 fWAR, valued at $145.3 million, over the past three seasons. FanGraphs Depth Charts and Steamer project Betts with a 2018 WAR of 5.6 in 630 plate appearances and 5.7 in 653 plate appearances. Betts will remain a bargain.

May have already happened. The agency community is fairly small and insiders know more about ongoing negotiations than the general public does. For all I know J.D. Martinez has rejected a Red Sox offer and the parties have gone their separate ways. Or not.

Makes me wonder whether a trade is in place with a team that hopes to extend Jose Abreu. The return the White Sox could receive in an Abreu trade just increased significantly.

Dave Dombrowski would be remiss if he hasn't done that since the start of the offseason. Red Sox fans may be obsessed with J.D. Martinez but I suspect the Boston front office has been surveying the entire market all along.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu avoids arbitration by agreeing to a $13 million contract, nearly $5 million below the MLB Trade Rumors projection: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/01/white-sox-jose-abreu-avoid-arbitration.html I suspect the contract will attract renewed trade offers.

Four years at $24 million annually. Given their contracts, the Mariners would never trade Cano for David Price. Seattle can only hope that Cano ages as well as his buddy David Ortiz: https://nesn.com/2016/08/robinson-cano-on-big-brother-david-ortiz-every-player-would-love-to-have-his-career/

Good point. Absent an opt-out, David Price will be paid $32 million in 2022, the year the left-hander turns 37 in August.

Absent collusion, the team that signs J.D. Martinez will almost certainly overpay. The Red Sox may not want to be that team.

Has Scott Boras said anything about J.D. Martinez as a designated hitter since making these statements in mid-December? http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2017/12/jd_martinez_rumors_free_agent.html http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/clubhouse_insider/2017/12/scott_boras_praises_potential_red_sox_targets_jd_martinez