Harper is one of the biggest names of the more than 130 free agents who remain on the open marketGETTY IMAGES
MLB's CBA with the union does not expire for nearly three years, but with the "tension between the players and owners, the threat of the sport’s first work stoppage since 1994-95 is palpable," according to Ken Rosenthal of THE ATHLETIC. Before each round of collective bargaining, the players empower their union to "withhold a portion of the annual money they receive from licensing, putting it aside for a possible strike fund." However, the players already have "taken the unusual step of authorizing the union to withhold their entire checks, reflecting their increased urgency." Players such as the Giants’ Evan Longoria, Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt and Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon are "voicing concerns about the state of free agency almost daily." With Spring Training approximately two weeks away, the sport should be "buzzing with talk about pitchers and catchers reporting and debating which teams are contenders." Instead, the talk is about the more than 130 free agents who "remain on the open market" and of the "frayed relations between players and owners." MLB agent Seth Levinson said, "Both sides need to recognize that the present system may result in intense acrimony which can never serve the best interests of the game." Rosenthal noted the players and owners are only a "little more than two years into a five-year labor agreement." They have "adjusted previous CBAs at midstream, perhaps most notably in their adoption and evolution of a Joint Drug Program, but never for economic changes." MLB is "highly unlikely to negotiate a new economic system before the current deal expires, and the union understands a dramatic overhaul is out of reach until the next round of collective bargaining" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/29).
TREND CONTINUES: In N.Y., Michael Powell notes for the second season in a row, at a time of the offseason when the "best free agents typically would have already signed handsome new contracts, most owners have tucked away their wallets and claimed to need no more talent." The MLBPA projects that at least 12 of the league's 30 teams will start '19 with a "substantially lower payroll" than '18. MLBPA Senior Dir of Collective Bargaining & Legal Bruce Meyer said, "At a time when industry revenues and club valuations are growing for the second straight off-season, an alarming number of clubs are declining to compete for the many talented players" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30).
MAYBE THEY HAVE A POINT? In Philadelphia, Corey Seidman noted just three MLB offseasons ago, 14 players signed new contracts worth at least $70M. This offseason, there has been just one. The '16 offseason is a "good example of why teams have adjusted their spending philosophies." Seidman: "Of those 14 players, how many of the contracts were regrettable for the team? I'd argue every single one except [Red Sox P David Price]." Every other player has either been "terribly disappointing, mediocre, injured, or has been shopped because his team realizes it can't contend while paying that much money to one player." Seidman: "Baseball is cyclical. Spending is cyclical. Front-office philosophies are cyclical. Right now, teams are obsessed with playing the 'value' game" (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHIA.com, 1/28).
WE'RE WAITING...: Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned, and ESPN's Jeff Passan compared it to the "world's longest staring contest." Passan: "The market just has not developed. And the two sides are looking at each other like, 'OK, who's going to blink first.' Right now, no one is blinking." He added, "Somebody put it to me like this -- free agency now starts on January 15" ("SportsCenter," ESPN2, 1/29).
