Players like Jose Bautista, once sought for reliability and experience, have been mostly ignored in FAGETTY IMAGES
An entire class of MLB players this offseason "became victims of a combination of economic and competitive forces within the game," and as the winter "took unprecedented turns, those players had the rug pulled out from underneath them," according to Adam Kilgore of the WASHINGTON POST. Players like Jose Bautista, Matt Holliday, John Lackey and Brandon Moss are still free agents, and while "none would be considered splashy, league-shifting additions," they are the kind of players teams "once sought for reliability, experience and leadership, players given a few million bucks for one season." The "rise of superteams convinced many franchises to rebuild or even to construct losing teams in hopes of acquiring more draft capital." Many teams "wanting to avoid the prohibitive penalty for violating the luxury tax in consecutive seasons" chose to "keep their powder dry for next winter, when a starry class will be headlined by Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and, should he exercise an opt-out clause, Clayton Kershaw." A slew of front offices, "particularly those in competitive holding patterns, decided it would be more cost-effective to fill rosters with young players than an aging free agent." From the "perspective of data-driven front offices, players making the league minimum, and who can sent back and forth between the majors and minors, can provide the same production as a veteran with more roster flexibility." But from a "consumer perspective, familiarity matters, and there will be less familiarity with Opening Day rosters than many believe there ought to be" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/28).
THE NEW NORM? MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the "most important thing" about the offseason is that the "market cleared." Manfred: "Players signed. ... It may have been later, it may have been for dollars that were different than their agent had promised them at the beginning of free agency, but that’s how markets work." He added, "There's been a very long-term shift in the game toward young players. Clubs have been winning with young players, they see value in young players. The other side of that coin is they’re less interested in older free agent players." He believes that "some of the rhetoric both from the MLBPA and the agents slowed the market down" (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 3/29). But in Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote the "free-agent freeze was real," potentially "changing the offseason market for years to come." White Sox P James Shields said, “I don’t know if it’s a trend. I’m hoping not, because it definitely isn’t good for the game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/27). In L.A., J.P. Hoornstra wrote the "era of the baseball superstar is over and the "era of the baseball superteam has arrived." In a league with 30 teams and 750 active roster spots, the "number of superteams somehow surpassed the number of superstar players." Fifteen years after a Michael Lewis novel "commenced baseball’s 'Moneyball era,' this is starting to feel like its apex." The boundaries for "individual greatness on a field have never seemed so clearly defined." Meanwhile, the "lengths a front office will go to build the best team possible have never seemed so limitless" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/25).
SPEEDING THINGS UP: Manfred this year has implemented limits on the number of trips to the mound teams can make during a game as a way to increase pace of play, and he said he "made an effort to be in Spring Training in Arizona and Florida for longer periods this year because I wanted to see how things went." Manfred: "The rule is going to go really smoothly. I'm not saying there won't be a bump here and there, but our umpires do a very good job managing the rule." He added he "watched how the umpires were administering it during Spring Training and working with the pitchers so they knew how much time they had left to throw however many pitches, and batters were being cooperative about being in the box so I hope the rules help us." The relationship between the league and the MLBPA has drawn much attention, in part due to the pace of play initiatives, but Manfred characterized things as being "fundamentally sound." Manfred: "We have four more years under the current basic agreement. Frankly, the way I handled the pitch clock was out of deference to our labor relationship. We had every right to put it in. I remain a believer in the pitch clock. I just thought that given the atmosphere surrounding the free agent market that it was a mistake to do it this year. That doesn't mean I'm any less interested in doing it over the long haul" (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 3/29).
PLAYOFF PAYOFF: MLB Network’s Chris Russo said of the 10 postseason spots, it is generally assumed that seven teams -- the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Dodgers, Cubs and Nationals -- are "going to be in." Russo: "You’re basically playing for three spots. Not only that, the three spots are not divisions, they’re wild cards. They’re playing for one game. Is that good or bad for the game?" Mike Francesa said, “Doesn't hurt baseball in the least. You know what? When the Yankees and Red Sox are in a pennant race, does anybody in either one of those towns care what's going on in San Francisco?" He added, "If the Yankees and Red Sox are both good, it’s going to be great baseball" (“High Heat,” MLB Network, 3/28).
