Results tagged ‘ salary cap ’
Let The Revolution Begin!
First of all… MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!
Second… I’m trying
really, really, really, really, really, really hard to avoid my natural habit
of commenting on the Yankees latest monstrosity signing. I shall resist. (See… I’m growing)
I’ve thought
a lot about the system I introduced in my last blog and I’d like to take it a
step further. I think the time has come where bantering on MLBlogs.com about
the need for a salary cap is over and someone needs to come up with an idea.
Is my idea
the right answer? I don’t know. I’m not arrogant enough to believe I have all
the answers, but I do believe that coming up with an idea is, at the very least,
as step toward a solution.
I have only
worked the system to figure out the market value of position players so far
(pitchers will be coming soon). Basically, I divide 9 positive stats and 2
negative stats into 3 tiers. The top two tiers are given a value based on
rarity and percentile, the bottom tier receives no value because it is not
considered rare.
The
percentile is then taken from the league minimum salary which is $390,000. The
higher the percentile, the more money the player gets. For instance: Players
who hit between 35 and 50 homeruns in 2008 makes up the top tier which is the
top 1.3% in the league. That rarity is valued at $384,800. Therefore, the 10
players that fit into that tier earn that $384,800. Make sense?
There are
also “Non-Performance-Based Bonuses” that can help a veteran or former
superstar whose performance may not be what it used to be.
MVP Award: $1,000,000
CY-YOUNG AWARD: $1,000,000
ALL-STAR APPEARANCE: $364,000
GOLD-GLOVE: $380,640
SILVER-SLUGGER: $380,640
WORLD SERIES MVP: $2,000,000
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: $250,000
CHAMPIONSHIP RING: $750,000
5-YEAR VETERAN $500,000
10-YEAR VETERAN $1,000,000
15-YEAR VETERAN $1,500,000
20-YEAR VETERAN $2,000,000
Mark
Teixeira just signed an 8-year/$180million contract which makes his annual
salary somewhere around $22.5 million per year (and that’s all I’m going say
about that). Teixeira is a great player, but is anyone worth $20 million a
year?
According to
this system, no.
Mark
Teixeira would have a market value of $5,214,840. Now, this doesn’t mean the
Yankees are necessarily overpaying, all it does is give an idea as to how Mark
Teixeira compares to the rest of the league. As a matter of fact, here are a
few of the remaining free-agents on the market and how their 2008 market values
compare to their 2008 salaries.
Player 2008
Market Value 2008
Salary
Bobby Abreu $4,248,160 ($16,000,000)
Manny Ramirez $12,982,520
($20,000,000)
Garrett Anderson $4,585,040 ($12,600,000)
Richie Sexson $2,161,680
($15,500,000)
Nomar Garciaparra $4,167,720 ($9,516,697)
Ivan Rodriguez $14,722,760 ($12,379,883)
Adam Dunn $2,880,560
($13,000,000)
Ken Griffey Jr. $13,925,480 ($8,282,695)
Pat Burrell $3,156,840
($14,250,000)
Jason Giambi $5,785,600
($23,428,571)
As you can
see, there are some players whose contracts far exceed their value and other
who are worth more. These numbers aren’t exactly going to spark inspiration
from the MLB Players Association (or Adam Dunn’s agent), but it will stabilize the
market. If this system had been in place for the last 10 years, the Yankees
wouldn’t have paid Jason Giambi $23 million a year to under-perform, nor would
the Braves have paid Mike Hampton $15 million each year to sit on the disabled
list.
Given this
system, would the Yankees have still paid almost half a billion this
off-season? Probably. But combine this value with a solid salary-cap, and maybe
prices won’t inflate every year and I won’t have to sit at home all summer
watching an alarming number of players earn more money in one game than I will
in the next 4-years.
Okay, maybe I still will (I’m still a writer), but
less people will.
So let this
post be the start of an official movement. The idea’s not perfect (YET!) but if
you like it, pass it on, tell anyone you feel like telling. It’s a long shot
but maybe, just maybe, someone will hear it who can actually make something
happen. We’ve always heard that the league wants to put us, “the fans,” first.
Now it’s time to see if they’ll listen to us.
C-C-C-Ya Real Soon
It’s coming
up on finals week here at good ol’ Penn State University; so needless to say my
schedule and workload as of late have been – in a word – NUTS!
So I
apologize for my lack of blogging in the last couple weeks, but hopefully soon
I will have the time to catch up on a few things.
I
did, however, wake up to the irritating buzz of my cell phone with an automated
MLB.com update (cheap plug). It read, and I quote: “The NY Post is reporting that
CC Sabathia has agreed to a six-year deal with the Yankees.”
“Bollocks..”
I sighed to myself is a British accent (I was still half asleep).
I
really wasn’t too surprised by the signing. It was quite apparent how much the
Yankees wanted him and were willing to do whatever it took to bring him to the
Bronx. Mission accomplished. I’m sure the blogosphere was flooded with happy
Yankee fans (especially you, Jane) just thrilled. And I’m happy for all of you,
I really am. I mean it. Seriously.
The
signing still upsets me, however. Not because I hate the Yankees (I do) but
because it’s bad for baseball in a sense. CC is a good pitcher, but free agency
in baseball is a phenomenon all in its own in that it builds up players and
expectations sometimes too high. We seem to often confuse the best pitcher in
the current market as being the best pitcher in baseball, which is not always
true.
CC is
a great pitcher, no doubt about it. But before last year, he was barely a blip
on anyone’s radar outside of Cleveland. He was just a good pitcher for an okay
team. In my mind, the best pitchers in baseball are Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb,
and – given his 2008 postseason performance – Cole Hamels. You can make a good
case for Johan Santana and Tim Lindsecum right now, and maybe CC Sabathia, but
you also have to consider longevity rather than who’s the latest “Johhny Come
Lately.”
Then
2007 hit and CC became the staff ace on a surprisingly good Indians team that
took out said Bronx Bombers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Recently,
the Milwaukee Brewers rode his left arm to the playoffs themselves. However, he
collapsed against the Red Sox and Phillies in the playoffs; a habit Yankees
fans will soon come to hate if he can’t turn it around.
What
I don’t like about a 7-year $161 million contract (with an opt-out option after
3 years) for CC Sabathia is that it will do nothing more than raise prices on
2009 free agents. You can argue that CC is worth that kind of money, and I
could easily be persuaded to believe you. But will next year’s top pitcher be
worth 7-years $180 million?
My
point is that the business of baseball, like most other sports, builds upon
itself and reacts to yesterday’s trends. The NFL is addressing the possibility
of a rookie-cap based off of the ridiculous trend that saw Matt Ryan sign a
contract worth more than 80% of the starting quarterbacks’ who have been in the
league for years. A precedent needs to be set in baseball before we’re teams
are in a bidding war over players like Robinson Cano and Kevin Youkolis.
Some
players are worth that kind of money, most aren’t. And just because they are
the best on the market doesn’t mean they deserve that kind of money. You can’t
blame the players and you can’t necessarily blame the teams (although sometimes
the Yankees should be to blame).
Who
can you blame?
But I’m
not one to name names.
Another Day At The Ballpark
Well, it looks like it’s shaping up to be another day at the ballpark in Major League Baseball this off-season. For some reason, football is boring to me this year, so all I have is the hope of winter transactions to keep me going until Christmas.
Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:
1. Surprise, surprise, the Yankees are after another big-time free agent.
What’s that? They’re not just trying to sign CC Sabathia? You mean they might make offers to A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe too? And they’re looking to trade for Jake Peavy?
Umm… WHAT?!?
Ok. This is getting ridiculous. I know how much Jane loves her Yankees and who can blame her? But do you all understand that Hank and Cash are destroying the game? They’re going to keep driving up the price on players until the collective salary of their AAA team is higher than the Royals’.
Would it make Hank feel better if the Yankees were the ONLY team in the league and they win the world series every year by default. Sometimes I think that’s what they’re going for. The will to win is respectable and the Yankees certainly have that, but this is getting out of control. I wonder is Abner Doubleday (right) is rolling over in his grave yet.
2. Bud Selig has determined that he is going to be “cautious” about extending instant replay in the future. As of right now, replay can only be used on homruns to determine whether the ball was over the fence or not, fair or foul and if there was fan interference.
I’m a baseball purist just like you, Bud, and I’m glad replay was accepted, it was just time. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Baseball officials have determined that there were plays in the world series that warrant further use of replay; Rocco Baldelli falsely being awarded first base even though he was not hit by a pitch, and Jimmy Rollins being called safe although he was clearly tagged on the derier.
Since it’s inception in late August, instant replay has been used 16 times. So instant replay, which was supposed to be a huge time waster, added a grand total of about 45 minutes to the 2008 season. Big deal. Get the calls right.
3. It’s almost Thanksgiving and for some reason, football (even the Steelers), is boring me to tears. ‘m holding on to the possibility of some early winter transactions to keep be going and so far… Not much.
What gives?
Aside from some awards, a few big offers, the Matt Holliday trade and a whole lot of rumors, absolutely nothing has happened, yet. So here’s my plan to get the ball rolling:
Manny, you’re gonna pick a team, I don’t care who. (preferably Philadelphia) But no matter who, I’m not gonna be mad. Just pick one. The rest of baseball is waiting to see what happens with you before they make their moves, so keep it moving.
The Yankees have until Friday to pick ONE free agent, and one free agent only. Whoever that may be gets ALL THE MONEY! But enough of this offering contracts to everyone available just to keep other teams away. Quit hogging all the potato chips!
Clearly I’m bored. Clearly I’m frustrated so please, someone, give me something to write about before I have a hissy fit over here!
~ SL
In other news: The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 11-10 yesterday in a wild finish… Oh wait, correction, that was the Pittsburgh STEELERS who defeated the San Diego CHARGERS 11-10… My bad.
The State of Baseball Address
Ok, so I’m in a little bit of a political mood.
President-Elect Barack Obama is going to deliver the State of the Union Address
for the next four years, so I thought I’d begin my own “State of Baseball
Address.”
Oddly enough, I see a lot of similarities between baseball and the U.S. right
now and not all of them are good. If you think about it, I think what’s wrong
with the economy right now is almost parallel to the problems Major League Baseball
has faced since 1994. Like the government, MLB officials have been adamant about
sticking to old philosophies and hoping they will eventually work the way they
should. Bush said that the economy’s “fundamentals” are good, but that’s just
it. The fundamentals are good, but everything else isn’t.
Major League Baseball’s lack of a salary cap is similar
to the free market system. Each team is a separate business free to do what it
likes. Teams in small markets like Kansas City and Tampa Bay struggle to
compete while the mammoths like New York, Boston and LA can freely afford
hundreds of millions to field the best teams. Every so often you get a team like the ’08 Rays or the ’94 Expos who can compete with a good core and young talent. But eventually, Longoria, Upton, Crawford and Pena will want more money that Tampa Bay can’t afford. So their time of glory is short-lived.
Is it fair? Absolutely.
Just? Of course.
Does it benefit everyone? Hell no.
Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Philles
and Mets that run in big markets don’t want a change because the current system
is slanted in their favor. Kind of like the so called fundamentally sound U.S.
economy that gives tax breaks and incentives to huge companies. But if you want
to look at a league that is beneficial as a whole, look at the NFL.
If Major League Baseball is the U.S., then the NFL is
Europe. No one team has any advantage over another economically and every year,
the playing field starts off level. They share revenue evenly across the board
like free healthcare for everyone. Anyone can compete year in and year out. In
the NFL, you have a Tampa Bay Rays team every year, it’s called the NFC South.
As much as I am a baseball purist, I want to see the
whole league benefit. Baseball used to be
America. World Series scores used to make front page news over world wars.
When women were called on to save the factories, they were called on to save
baseball too. (Seriously, they made a movie about it!)
Somehow, though, baseball has been surpassed as the
nation’s sport of preference. Why? Because it’s a lot more fun for everyone
when your team has a good chance to win every season. Teams like Tennessee and
New Orleans have a legitimate chance of winning, and even one or two down years
usually lead to a few years on the high.
Baseball purists want to keep the game the way it is, and that includes Bud Selig. How long, though, are baseball fans going to accept the excuse for major fundamental flaws as “part of the game”?
It’s time to level the playing field somehow. A salary cap alone won’t solve the problem, because teams like the Yankees will find a way to offer players $140 million bonuses. Maybe caps on offers? Caps on bonuses? How about every trade or free agent has to go through waivers so each team has a chance to make an offer instead of going right for the big markets.
I don’t know the answer, but I am willing to work on one. There needs to be one.
With the economy the way it is, it seems criminal for any team to spend that kind of money on one person. Men who work an assembly line are struggling to feed their children while guys like Sabathia and Manny are about to cash in big-time for playing a sport. That concept gets lost sometimes, but it never goes away.
Maybe it’s time baseball took a step forward and joined
the 21st century.
Maybe it’s time America did the same.
~SL
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