Clark this offseason has consistently called out the competitive integrity of MLB's free agency systemGETTY IMAGES
The MLBPA is monitoring the A's ballpark search "carefully because the issue is always cited" as a reason for the team's "lack of spending" on players, according to Susan Slusser of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The A’s were "included along with the Rays, Marlins and Pirates" when the MLBPA filed in a grievance over teams' "failure to spend revenue-sharing checks." The inability of the A's to find a new ballpark to date "plays a role in the team’s small budget, and the slow pace" of the ballpark quest "led to owners deciding to phase the A’s out of revenue sharing over a four-year period." MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark said of the ballpark search, "It is something we watch, and it is a concern." He added, "We evaluate every team every offseason and the decisions that were made with those four teams are indicative of those concerns." Meanwhile, Clark said, "We haven’t seen in a long time what we’re seeing this offseason. One of the things that is resonating in each locker room is the idea that if teams are not just evaluating players differently but are less inclined to be the last team standing, how that is affecting everything that goes on during the offseason, whether free-agent related or trade-related? It’s all connected in such a way that guys are questioning the competitive integrity of the system." Slusser notes with the A's "undergoing a rebuild that was publicly spelled out last summer," the club's payroll currently stands at $70.5M (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/22).
PICK YOUR PRICE: Slusser reports the A's are "allowing fans to pay their own price for tickets -- a $1 minimum donation is required -- in section 322 every Wednesday this season, with all proceeds going to fund charitable efforts and initiative through the Oakland A's Community Fund" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/22).
