I first want to thank you for your continued support of the great game of baseball. This past season, we were reminded of how the national pastime can bring us together and restore our hope despite the difficult challenges of a global pandemic. As we began to emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history, our ballparks were filled with fans; the games were filled with excitement; and millions of families felt the joy of watching baseball together.
That is why I am so disappointed about the situation in which our game finds itself today. Despite the league’s best efforts to make a deal with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26 year-long history of labor peace and come to an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired. Therefore, we have been forced to commence a lockout of Major League players, effective at 12:01am ET on December 2.
I want to explain to you how we got here and why we have to take this action today. Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.
When we began negotiations over a new agreement, the Players Association already had a contract that they wouldn’t trade for any other in sports. Baseball’s players have no salary cap and are not subjected to a maximum length or dollar amount on contracts. In fact, only MLB has guaranteed contracts that run 10 or more years, and in excess of $300 million. We have not proposed anything that would change these fundamentals. While we have heard repeatedly that free agency is “broken” – in the month of November $1.7 billion was committed to free agents, smashing the prior record by nearly 4x. By the end of the offseason, Clubs will have committed more money to players than in any offseason in MLB history.
We worked hard to find compromise while making the system even better for players, by addressing concerns raised by the Players Association. We offered to establish a minimum payroll for all clubs to meet for the first time in baseball history; to allow the majority of players to reach free agency earlier through an age-based system that would eliminate any claims of service time manipulation; and to increase compensation for all young players, including increases in the minimum salary. When negotiations lacked momentum, we tried to create some by offering to accept the universal Designated Hitter, to create a new draft system using a lottery similar to other leagues, and to increase the Competitive Balance Tax threshold that affects only a small number of teams.
We have had challenges before with respect to making labor agreements and have overcome those challenges every single time during my tenure. Regrettably, it appears the Players Association came to the bargaining table with a strategy of confrontation over compromise. They never wavered from collectively the most extreme set of proposals in their history, including significant cuts to the revenue-sharing system, a weakening of the competitive balance tax, and shortening the period of time that players play for their teams. All of these changes would make our game less competitive, not more.
To be clear: this hard but important step does not necessarily mean games will be cancelled. In fact, we are taking this step now because it accelerates the urgency for an agreement with as much runway as possible to avoid doing damage to the 2022 season. Delaying this process further would only put Spring Training, Opening Day, and the rest of the season further at risk – and we cannot allow an expired agreement to again cause an in-season strike and a missed World Series, like we experienced in 1994. We all owe you, our fans, better than that.
Today is a difficult day for baseball, but as I have said all year, there is a path to a fair agreement, and we will find it. I do not doubt the League and the Players share a fundamental appreciation for this game and a commitment to its fans. I remain optimistic that both sides will seize the opportunity to work together to grow, protect, and strengthen the game we love. MLB is ready to work around the clock to meet that goal. I urge the Players Association to join us at the table.
Manfred
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
I'm pretty sure about one thing, no matter what your thoughts are regarding this new CBA, we can all agree that Rob Manturd is by far the worst commissioner in sports. The mother ****er just constantly botches everything and is completely full of shit.
I did quite enjoy Manfred saying a few weeks back how owning a baseball team returns less profit than investing in the stock market. Hard to get more full of shit than that.
I know with respect to the Blue Jays Rogers bought the team for around 100M 20 years ago and could likely sell it for over 10 times that now (it's valued by Forbes at 1.67 billion). Yeah, sounds like a brutal investment there. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Holy shit, dude.
You're aware Gary Bettman is still a thing, right?
I'm not huge fan of Manfred, but Bettman is the worst in pro sports history. And he's had the gig for 30 years. It's really remarkable.
Gary Bettman saved the NHL and grew the sport.
A lot of that was exacerbated by the Canadian economy, but the NHL had so many teams losing money and revenue wasn’t as evenly distributed. Small market teams were getting ****ed while big market teams were cash cows. Edmonton and Calgary wouldn’t have teams without him.
Additionally, the league expanded to non-traditional markets and is thriving everywhere for the most part aside from Arizona.
Bettman’s biggest 2 indictments should be the Arizona situation and player safety. But he’s way better than Manfred and Goodell. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Ocotillo:
I liked Theo's observations and insights but banning the shift is not the answer.
When asked a few years ago about the shift in today’s game George Brett said he wished they would have tried to use that against him because would have killed them going the opposite way.
Moose struggled big time against the shift and then finally learned to start hitting the other way (for a while any way).
How about instead of eliminating the shift these hitters put in the work to become better at their jobs? [Reply]
I mean, baseball is above shitty assed basketball, and while hockey games are fun to go to— I’ve never once watched a game on television. Let’s not even mention soccer which is being forced on viewers, but no one in the continental United States cares about the most effeminate sport on earth. Like, I’d watch a rugby match between Wales and South Africa or some shit before a soccer game, lol.
MLB is yawn. They could start the season in July and no one would notice. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
When asked a few years ago about the shift in today’s game George Brett said he wished they would have tried to use that against him because would have killed them going the opposite way.
Moose struggled big time against the shift and then finally learned to start hitting the other way (for a while any way).
How about instead of eliminating the shift these hitters put in the work to become better at their jobs?
If you threw 92 in Brett’s day you were a fire baller. You can’t be a mop up man in the low 90s anymore.
Nobody knew about spin rates or pitch tunneling. Sliders were barely utilized due to the fear of arm injuries. For most of Brett’s career there was no real bullpen specialization.
Hitters face a MUCH larger challenge now than when he played.
Oh, and George Brett is an arrogant drunken asshole. Why would anyone take what that guy has to say about anything seriously? Whatever the discussion, Brett’s conclusions are that he’s the solution. Fuck that guy. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Ocotillo:
Theo Epstein said that the pitching was so good these days -- high end velocity and filthy breaking stuff combined -- that most hitters thought their best chance to succeed was to barrel the ball up and go for the long ball. I think there's some truth to that.
Nick Madrigal is an interesting study. He's considered the most extreme contact hitter in the league, making contact 92% of the time last year.
His underlying power numbers are all underwhelming, barrel rate was 1% (league average is 8%, the really good sluggers are around 12%). Ground ball rate was 60% and fly ball rate was 20%, which is unheard of in today's game.
He had a 106 OPS+ and a 112 DRC+ with this approach, which includes a 5% walk rate. I doubt the clubs reward a player with a nine-digit salary with this profile. He's still just above average. It pays to slug.
Madrigal went to my alma mater Oregon State like so many other stars. He was an absolutely huge prospect with hype as the #1 overall pick. He ended up being selected 4th overall in the nation and getting a 6 million signing bonus before he ever saw a professional pitch. He was never expected to hit for power (he's a 5'8 speedy middle infielder).
David Fletcher of the Angels fits the same profile. He never strikes out and rarely walks and his average barrel rate is 0.0% cause he puts up the lowest EV in MLB. His career high in HR was 6 and he had 2 last year. He signed a 5 year 26 million dollar extension last offseason.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
If you threw 92 in Brett’s day you were a fire baller. You can’t be a mop up man in the low 90s anymore.
Nobody knew about spin rates or pitch tunneling. Sliders were barely utilized due to the fear of arm injuries. For most of Brett’s career there was no real bullpen specialization.
Hitters face a MUCH larger challenge now than when he played.
Oh, and George Brett is an arrogant drunken asshole. Why would anyone take what that guy has to say about anything seriously? Whatever the discussion, Brett’s conclusions are that he’s the solution. Fuck that guy.
If Moose could make the adjustment, Brett unquestionably would have been able to. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
If you threw 92 in Brett’s day you were a fire baller. You can’t be a mop up man in the low 90s anymore.
Nobody knew about spin rates or pitch tunneling. Sliders were barely utilized due to the fear of arm injuries. For most of Brett’s career there was no real bullpen specialization.
Hitters face a MUCH larger challenge now than when he played.
Oh, and George Brett is an arrogant drunken asshole. Why would anyone take what that guy has to say about anything seriously? Whatever the discussion, Brett’s conclusions are that he’s the solution. **** that guy.
