What are some of the moves that can save baseball...

[varoadking]

I have one very specific idea in mind, which may involve a lengthy lockout/strike, but would benefit the game and the fans in the long haul...

I'd like to hear some other ideas before I post this one of mine...I'm sure it's been discussed at some point in the past...

So...what say you?

[HalfSmokes]

Not having a lockout. Making it cheap and easy to stream in market. Making cheap owners spend their welfare payments from teams that care

[imref]

salary floor and making TV broadcasts more accessible would be tops on my list.

[Natsinpwc]

salary floor and making TV broadcasts more accessible would be tops on my list.

Agree.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

If there is to be payroll limits as a price for a salary floor, then I kind of like something similar to the NBA's apron structure. The cap is porous at lower level but the escalating penalties for repeat violators of the top apron makes it nearly prohibitive to stay there. That was essentially the problem for the Celtics maintaining their roster. IT doesn't really penalize financially the guys like Porzingis, Holliday, and Horford who had to be moved. I don't think the NBA player's association thinks it is onerous.

[blue911]

If a team doesn’t make the playoffs for 5 consecutive years, it loses its share of national TV money. The only exception is if the team has had a top 5 payroll for the same period. 10 years of no playoffs and you lose your franchise rights.

[HalfSmokes]

If there is to be payroll limits as a price for a salary floor, then I kind of like something similar to the NBA's apron structure. The cap is porous at lower level but the escalating penalties for repeat violators of the top apron makes it nearly prohibitive to stay there. That was essentially the problem for the Celtics maintaining their roster. IT doesn't really penalize financially the guys like Porzingis, Holliday, and Horford who had to be moved. I don't think the NBA player's association thinks it is onerous.

The Dodgers being good is part of why baseball is popular now. If you pull down the big market teams, you better hope you have an nfl level national fanbase if Arizona and Milwaukee end up in the World Series

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The Dodgers being good is part of why baseball is popular now. If you pull down the big market teams, you better hope you have an nfl level national fanbase if Arizona and Milwaukee end up in the World Series

I think under an nba-like set up, the Dodgers could stay together if they are willing to pay enormous penalties, plus things like lost picks and no international money, plus restrictions on trades

[HalfSmokes]

I think under an nba-like set up, the Dodgers could stay together if they are willing to pay enormous penalties, plus things like lost picks and no international money, plus restrictions on trades

I think the current tax system could just be beefed up. I care less about big market teams spending than small market teams with payrolls less than their revenue sharing haul

[varoadking]

OK, so my suggestion is...no more fully guaranteed player contracts.  Period...

Teams getting saddled with the likes of Patrick Corbin and Anthony Rendon not only strain budgets but stress fans with the suckage...and there is no reasonable way out...

If you can't achieve an NFL style approach, then at least something like the NHL where you can cut young guys and owe just 33% of his salary, or cut older guys and eat just 66% of the salary. 

The current system provides no incentive for a player on a long term contract...Rendon is the poster-boy example of that...

Another solution might be to limit term on contracts.  The NHL just dropped a year from their term limits. 

Again...anything to free up money and improve the team will improve the game...

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

This. Players dogging out mega contracts are a major turnoff.

[imref]

Nothing is forcing teams to award these kinds of contracts.

[varoadking]

Nothing is forcing teams to award these kinds of contracts.

These are ALL 100% guaranteed per the CBA and they all have to deal with it.  THAT is my primary issue...

[HalfSmokes]

These are ALL 100% guaranteed per the CBA and they all have to deal with it.  THAT is my primary issue...

The CBA allows team options which is the same as non-guaranteed.

[varoadking]

The CBA allows team options which is the same as non-guaranteed.

Only fringe players will sign one of those...does nothing to deal with the rank and file that demands top dollar and long term. 

[HalfSmokes]

That’s a team choice though. I’m sure there is some amount of money that a team could pay a top tier free agent to sign a 1 year deal, of course the number would probably be absurdly high. I don’t understand why you need a rule in place to protect billionaires from themselves. They pay people millions to negotiate these deals - if they don’t like it, then they shouldn’t authorize it

[Slateman]

If a team doesn’t make the playoffs for 5 consecutive years, it loses its share of national TV money. The only exception is if the team has had a top 5 payroll for the same period. 10 years of no playoffs and you lose your franchise rights.

Take this further. Have relegation, like in European soccer. You don't spend on payroll and you suck? Congrats, you're now part of the New Quad-A minor league system.

Only way I take a salary cap is if it comes with a salary floor that is like 90% of the cap. This crap is dumb. I'm tired of teams that only care about selling enough tickets.

[Slateman]

OK, so my suggestion is...no more fully guaranteed player contracts.  Period...

Teams getting saddled with the likes of Patrick Corbin and Anthony Rendon not only strain budgets but stress fans with the suckage...and there is no reasonable way out...

If you can't achieve an NFL style approach, then at least something like the NHL where you can cut young guys and owe just 33% of his salary, or cut older guys and eat just 66% of the salary. 

The current system provides no incentive for a player on a long term contract...Rendon is the poster-boy example of that...

Another solution might be to limit term on contracts.  The NHL just dropped a year from their term limits. 

Again...anything to free up money and improve the team will improve the game...

Counterpoint: It rewards early extensions. Think about what Acuna, Crochet, Merrill, and Raliegh would have gotten on the open market.

No one's budget is being strained. The Nationals could have spent on lots of free agents in the last five years. They openly chose not to. Same for the Angels. We don't need to "free up money." We need to force owners to actually field competitive teams rather than use their ball club as part of an investment portfolio.

[varoadking]

Counterpoint: It rewards early extensions. Think about what Acuna, Crochet, Merrill, and Raliegh would have gotten on the open market.

No one's budget is being strained. The Nationals could have spent on lots of free agents in the last five years. They openly chose not to. Same for the Angels. We don't need to "free up money." We need to force owners to actually field competitive teams rather than use their ball club as part of an investment portfolio.

Having extended dead contracts like Corbin and Rendon hampers a team's ability to field a competitive team...

[imref]

Having extended dead contracts like Corbin and Rendon hampers a team's ability to field a competitive team...

Corbin's contract in no way hampered the ability of the Nats to field a competitive team.

Payroll by year (per spotrac)
2021: $144M
2022: $126M
2023: $93.4M
2024: $107M

They had plenty of space to spend if they wanted to.

The Angels have a committed payroll right now of about $128 million for next year, and that's with the Trout and Rendon contracts. They also have plenty of space to sign additional FAs.

[Slateman]

Having extended dead contracts like Corbin and Rendon hampers a team's ability to field a competitive team...

Corbin's contract in no way hampered the ability of the Nats to field a competitive team.

Payroll by year (per spotrac)
2021: $144M
2022: $126M
2023: $93.4M
2024: $107M

They had plenty of space to spend if they wanted to.

The Angels have a committed payroll right now of about $128 million for next year, and that's with the Trout and Rendon contracts. They also have plenty of space to sign additional FAs.

Exactly.

Blue Jays went to the WS with Berrios and Santander as dead weight. Yankees made the playoffs with their 35 million dollar starter missing the whole season. Rangers won with deGrom making 6 starts.

Stop carrying owners' waters. They  are billionaires who are sitting on investments that have quadrupled in value, with surrounding real estate investments, all while getting publicly funded stadiums and tax breaks. Their team is hampered because their owners don't care whether they win or lose. Whether they're a 90 win team or a 90 loss team. As long as they're in the black, getting sweet tax breaks for that new stadium, and watching their investment grow, they won't care. Non guaranteed contracts and a salary cap won't do crap to fix that.

[varoadking]

Corbin's contract in no way hampered the ability of the Nats to field a competitive team.

Payroll by year (per spotrac)
2021: $144M
2022: $126M
2023: $93.4M
2024: $107M

They had plenty of space to spend if they wanted to.

The Angels have a committed payroll right now of about $128 million for next year, and that's with the Trout and Rendon contracts. They also have plenty of space to sign additional FAs.

So you simply release them and eat the loss?  You can't sacrifice a roster spot by keeping them around and still paying them...and the fans don't want the dead weight dragging the team down...

With a non-guaranteed contract, you limit the turmoil...

[HalfSmokes]

With non guaranteed deals, stars will cost a fortune and switch teams yearly. Wha do you think the bidding for Ohtani would look like this summer? Image how good the Mets could be if they could choose which free agents to bring in on a yearly basis. Non-guaranteed works two ways- no players is signing for a contract that is just a series of team options, so it will be every free agent to the highest bidder every year

[varoadking]

With non guaranteed deals, stars will cost a fortune and switch teams yearly. Wha do you think the bidding for Ohtani would look like this summer? Image how good the Mets could be if they could choose which free agents to bring in on a yearly basis. Non-guaranteed works two ways- no players is signing for a contract that is just a series of team options, so it will be every free agent to the highest bidder every year

So build a team like MLB did until Catfish Hunter freaked everything up...thru the draft and trades...

[HalfSmokes]

So build a team like MLB did until Catfish Hunter freaked everything up...thru the draft and trades...

Except every player goes to the highest bidder after arbitration (no one is signing a non-guaranteed extension) and then you have super teams because the Yankees won’t have $29 million tied up in Stanton or $36 million in Cole. Instead, the Dodgers and Mets can spend their $350 million (maybe more if they don’t have to account for future commitments) on guys in their primes