Everytime someone mentions something about banging trash cans

The Dodgers tapped into the Asian Market, they are tapped into the Latin American Market, they are always visible because of the Hollywood production that happens in LA. Plus they have a massive TV contracts. The Dodgers are loaded with revenue related to their baseball operations!

Simply put the Dodgers are swimming in money…. And they spend it on the best players without hesitation.

Anyone who ridicules other teams for not spending revenue they don’t have is fooling themselves. It doesn’t matter if the owners are rich and billionaires, they are running a business first. If their product isn’t drawing the massive baseball revenue; then those owners would be fools to throw their money away. After all, the purpose of the business is for profit and appreciation assets they can sell in the future.

The Dodgers are doing what they can, because the rules allow them to do that; as they gladly pay the astronomical fines. Every one of us fans can say it isn’t fair, and even though it isn’t; nobody really cares in MLB.

People need to stop believing that a team in the financial position as strong as the Dodgers, Yankees, etc would be benevolent and play fair, if the rules allow them to by their own rules.


And yet, I still see blurbs by Astros haters regarding the 2017 sign stealing scandal. And nobody as much bats an eye at the huge disparity in spending in MLB. The baseball writers are constantly Dodgers and Yankee apologists, they humanize the bully tactics used by their beloved Yankees and Dodgers.

 

The Dodgers are doing everything that is allowed under this broken ****ed-up system.

I can hate them for a lot of reasons, but not for this.

 

My reply to Ben Verlander

 

I wonder if part of the solution to the competitive balance tax should include hyper aggressive draft and international bonus penalties.

Feels like that may be more likely to dissuade teams like the dodgers from just throwing 9 figures around like candy.

 

Houston spent a couple of seasons with very low payroll numbers in order to rebuild and create a years long championship team. A minimum payroll requirement would preclude that and is the reason I will never be able to support one.

 

Right now, 50% of CBT fines go to the teams who do not spend to the CBT level. The other 50% goes to player benefits and retirement.

I would keep a minimum spending requirement for qualifying for revenue sharing, but increase the enforcement of it and close any loopholes.

Then increase the penalties for exceeding the CBT focusing on fines. Then require teams who get this money to use this part of revenue sharing on salaries ( on top of the minimum to qualify)

The reduced amateur FA money and loss of draft pick penalties are still part of it but the focus is increasing payroll funds for lower market teams as well as making it hurt worse for going over.

This adds a defacto floor while giving teams additional money that can only be spent to go over that floor. It also increases the penalties for going over.

Theoretically this will reduce the gap between the lower and higher paying teams.

Lower revenue teams still have motivation to spend to the minimum because they still get revenue sharing from other streams like broadcast revenue to spend or save as they like (otherwise no motivation since money can only go to salaries)

I would also like to see some incentive to keep FAs on their former team. Maybe a reduction in AAV counting toward CBT if a team keeps one of its FAs? example: if Pena gets a 7 yr/$210M contract in 2028, it would be $22.5M AAV (75%) if Astros sign him but count $30M for any other team.

What are your thoughts?

 

Yeah I’m on board with all of this. Makes sense that the money received from fines go towards increasing other teams ability to pay for players.

I just meant instead of losing out on draft picks for signing qualified offer free agents, which I think is like a 3rd round pick or something, teams that exceed the CBT should just immediately lose a 1st round pick. 2 years in a row, 2 additional 1st round picks. Etc etc. extremely aggressive deterrents for continually exceeding it, bc ultimately the dodgers and select few just don’t give a damn about the tax.
But they would care if they were gutted of draft picks for exceed the tax 2, 3, 10 years in a row. Idk, just a thought.

 

Eh, you can still reach the minimum threshold by signing a bunch of guys to short term deals.

 

Scott Feldman, c'mon down!!