I don't see how it is collusion to stop doing something which has bitten every team in the ass many times over the last 20 years.

Signing 32+ year old players to five year deals is stupid. Signing 35+ year olds to three year deals is stupid.

Teams are going through complete rebuilds and focusing on trying to get as many 24-28 year old, team controlled players within the same competing window as possible, because it has been proven to work.

Teams are handing out new record-breaking contracts to pre-arbitration and arbitration players every month or so now. Teams are willing to spend money. They are now spending it on the right players, and there are far less right players than aging veterans.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I do think the Cubs have a lot to do with it. They rebuilt by tanking and then made a few horrible signings that at a minimum have closed their window quicker than it should have been whenever that happens.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Jake Arrietta got what i would call a fair deal based on his resume....but you cannot deny it's part of a newer trend.
Yu Darvish's contract....that's a pretty solid example to counter the collusion argument.

I have no doubt the owners have talked and have likely come to an understanding theat it's in their best interests to be more frugal on FA contracts. It' hard to call that collusion when it appears to be the financially sound thing to do.

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One recorded call or email and they are fucked.

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BUT THEYRE BILLIONAIRES!!! THEY SHOULD HAND OUT STUPID CONTRACTS REGARDLESS !!!

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

It is funny how fans view the player/owner/money dynamic. It generally suspends reality.

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Very doubtful....Wealthy owners can be out of touch with fans and do a lot of stupid shit....I doubt leaving evidence of collusion is one of them.

I'm just curious on how the players union reacts....if they want to claw back money from the owners they have to focus on the younger players and implementing some kind of salary floor. I completely agree that they're getting squeezed here, but they also have to carry some of the blame. Bad contracts are bad for everyone.

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I also doubt they are that stupid but you never know when a Donald Sterling will say the wrong thing to his mistress.

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I doubt it too. Just thinking if one made a mistake.

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This is not even necessarily related to tanking. You dont have to tank to know its wiser and enact a plan that involves paying younger players on the cheap vs older ones


It's ECON 101, baby!

It's just an extension of how we view money in this country now in general. I guess it started in the 60s? It's just more bizarre leftist logic that has seeped its way into the mainstream. People in China think it is one of the more bizarre things going in Western society. They look up to their rich and want to work to be them.

We know that the huge majority (I think more than 70% if I remember correctly) of the ultra wealthy are purely self made and worked their ass off to get there. Guys like Bezos have an insane work ethic that is matched by insane productivity. And it's the productivity that has led to people studying it because of how rare it is even within the world of high paid corporate CEOs. It will be miserable to work in any of his corporate settings but the good news is that you dont actually have to. Fortunately, AOC saved a lot of New Yorkers from being rich today.

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- Dan Bernstein, 2016

I agree with the thrust of your post, but this Amazon thing has all the hallmarks of a shakedown. I think New York is going to be just fine.

I have no idea what you're trying to say. The reality of the world is if don't like your employer or are given a better opportunity you can leave.

MLB you cannot.

Funny how it's just the players whining...you never hear the owners bitching about player/agent collusion or why won't these players sign the fair offers we've presented. Mully mentioned that one of the agents (Boras?) has something like 60 players still unsigned, and there is possibly a conflict of interest as the agent wants to have his big fish sign before the lesser players so they don't fill up rosters and lower his main guy's leverage.

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We do?

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There are lots of "unsigned guys" who should just fucking retire.

Any 24 year old analytics kid can look at the following four contracts and realize that offering anybody older than 30 more than 6 years is absolutely stupid:

Albert Pujols
Robbie Cano
Miguel Cabrera
Jason Heyward

That's not collusion, that's statistical analysis and game theory.

Whit Merrifield of KC just signed an extension this week. He languished in KC's minor league system while they were a playoff team, got bounced off the 40-man at one point, and then got his chance as the team started to descend back into suck. He was interviewed on MLB Network Radio a couple of nights ago and said, paraphrasing, that's he's too damn old to be going through arbitration at 30. After they finished the call, the co-host (I think it was Mike Stanton, who's really damn good) pointed out that one bad year and he'd get non-tendered due to his age.

Aaron Nola of the Phillies just signed an extension. Nolan Arenado has indicated that he wants to stay in Colorado and will spend the entire year negotiating an extension. Chris Sale wants to stay in Boston but they can't extend his contract right now without destroying his 2019 cap number and throwing them into the 95% marginal luxury tax bracket.

So players are slowly starting to adjust, especially if they're not represented by Scott Boras.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Is your argument that the all of the owners suddenly got smart at the same time?

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No they were pretty smart last year too not giving Arrietta the 200 million he wanted .

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Not quite.

We know that 70% of the money of those 400 was not inherited.

The thing left out is, a guy like Trump gets a "small loan" from his father for 1 million (looking further into it he gave him way more in assets worth about 60 million)

But just take that 1 million. Now credit to Trump for making all the money he has made since then, but would he have done it without his father's million? Odds are against it.

A better study, if possible, would be how much of wealth is built with a base of inheritance.

But, some people will always have more advantages than others.

I am assuming the players union will never support it, but what is the reasoning they would be against a salary floor in the CBA? Not sure what the ceiling should be or if it's calculated each year based on revenues, etc., but if every team was forced to spend $75M, wouldn't that help spur the free agent market each season, and avoid half the league tanking?

It wasn't all at the same time. The last few dumb teams were the Yankees, Nationals, Cubs and Boston.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

The baseball media also crushed them consistently for it. It isn't a shock other teams saw it and didn't jump in next.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Can we finally put this ridiculous notion to bed now?

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It never was collusion. It is the punative luxury tax.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

You mean the tax the mlbpa signed off on?

Shocking

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Why? There's a ton of productive unsigned players available

Free agency day is something the NHL does better. Bryce Harper should have been signed on day one.

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So that means the owners have an agreement with each other not to sign them? That makes even less sense than the big names having trouble getting $300m.

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They all being cheap. It's not the exact definition of collusion. But the incentives of MLB's revenue structure has eliminated the need to teams to field competitive rosters.