MLB revenues won't be hurt at all as long as the season happens - even if it's shortened. Everyone points to 1994, but the problem there was that people got emotionally invested and then the end of the season got cancelled. Cancel April? No one will care. Most people don't care much about April as-is. Just as when the NBA had shortened seasons. As long as there's some kind of season and a playoffs, MLB will be fine. A shortened season actually might be more exciting because each game matters more.
But that also only works because there is cap, contracts historically are not guaranteed (though that is slowly changing), the NFLPA is pretty weak, and mosty importantly the TV contract is basically nationally agreed too because they can do that with only 17+3 games per team and most games on Sundays. I just dont see how all MLB ownerships would agree on a national broadcast deal for the full 162 game season. If anything, I would bet the Dodgers/Yankees ilk are already fuming at how much revenue sharing they have to put up with.
This lockout isn’t going to fix that. Small market teams can win if managed right. Big market teams with big payrolls lose every year when managed wrong. More of analytic baseball figured out how to optimize the current system, which closed a lot of the competitive disparity… but some teams (like the Pirates, Angels, Rangers) decided to chase big stars or made dumb trades and are either bottoming out or treading water.
Local TV deals will always reflect major metro populations. The big market teams have to revenue share. They can try and force the ones that own the network to declare true income so that the sharing $$$ are actually more accurate.
Before free agency you mean? Where teams held on to players for their lifetime? Thats the system that has impacted small market teams the most… and ironically, that’s the system that most agree needs tweaking to avoid service time manipulation.
Again, sounds like you would favor getting rid of free agency entirely. I would propose a system where after 3 years, a star player who meets certain criteria, can qualify for at least a 5 year max extension and basically become a restricted FA (teams could also choose to sign them for longer if they wanted… but has to be at least 5 years). If the team refuses to sign them because they’re “poor”, the player becomes an unrestricted FA right then/there. If the player would like to not be tied to the franchise for 5 more years, they then play on a series of 1 year deals till they complete total 6 years there (similar to current arbitration set up), and the team can also trade said player at any point. This can allow teams that scout/draft well/develop a star to keep them for guaranteed 8 years, the player gets paid, and those teams would also have the inside track on trying to keep them for the majority of their prime careers… but it also forces the team to make that decision early or risk losing the player early (and the player gets granted free agency early, making service time manipulation less impactful). basically a hybrid of the nfl and nba systems that do incentivize players to stay with the team that drafted them.
Interesting. You could also make homegrown talent cost less against the luxury tax. Would be a simple way for home teams to be able to offer the best deals for their pending free agents
I could get on board with this idea if 4 yrs was when these actions started to happen. Great idea. If owners were smart and this will never happen, they would go with the Charlie Finley plan, every player after every year becomes a fa. This way the best GM's would be able to put the best teams together and it would become a produce or you don't get paid world for the players.
Hopefully they fix the blackout issue, I live in Iowa with no MLB team, but the Cubs, White Sox, Cardinals, Brewers, Twins, Royals and Rockies are all blacked out Iowa. That is beyond ridiculous..
And MLB would lose all their fans when they don't build relationships or followings of any of their players. You'd have a bunch of Rays and Marlins fanbases where even when teams are good, no one cares. Sports is not just a transactional thing - it's an emotional bonding thing for a fan base.
Unfortunately not one of the items… and it has more to do with how the regional networks define their territory, not necessarily MLB.
Maybe I'm just not an emotional kind of guy. The way the current system is setup fans of teams like the Pirates are only going to get to keep their best players for a few years anyways.
Not sure why you keep bringing up the Pirates who have been severely mismanaged since their last playoff appearance… every other team in their division has found a way to win games regardless of market size. Even big market teams realized in the last 15 years that they can’t just go buy players. Small market teams actually have more flexibility when it comes to stockpiling prospects and trading players on the downsides of their careers for higher upside players… they don’t get stuck with the contracts that everybody fears the Astros would if the signed Correa. Yes, there’s less room for error. They can’t fix a potential mistake with a $$$ band-aid. But looking at well run organizations like the Royals, Rays, A’s, Cardinals, and now some would say the Mariners… they all have done a great job of building up their scouting/development staff that fine tunes that process over and over again to the point where they’re just better. Now the small market teams could do a better job of fan building by hanging on to their stars for a little bit longer… but even they wouldn’t want to pay past prime players premium contracts as they’re too smart for that.
According to Yahoo Japan, Freddy Galvis is expected to sign a contract with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Given the current lockout, Galvis certainly won't be the only unsigned MLB veteran who pursues opportunities overseas. The switch-hitting 32-year-old shortstop hit .242/.302/.407 with 14 homers and 40 RBI in 394 plate appearances between the Orioles and Phillies during the 2021 campaign.
In a world of never-ending rona madness, I'd do whatever it takes to keep the doors open as the MLB. Two shortened seasons in three years really doesn't help.
