Support NeoGAF

[XiaNaphryz]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/assessing-what-we-know-about-the-new-cba/

After nearly a year’s worth of negotiation sessions, and with little more than three hours remaining before the deadline, Major League Baseball’s owners and players came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement Wednesday evening. Not only does this agreement avert a possible work stoppage, but it also means that teams will head into next week’s Winter Meetings with a better sense of the economic ground rules under which they’ll be operating in the coming seasons.

It will be at least a few weeks, if not a couple months, before the final written version of the new CBA is released publicly. Indeed, while the owners and players reached a consensus on the core components of the deal last night, many of those verbal agreements must still be reduced to writing, a process that will take some time.

Still, many of the core components of the deal have already been reported in the press.

Duration of the New CBA

To begin, the new agreement will last for five years, covering the 2017-2021 seasons. This means that by the time the next CBA expires, MLB will have enjoyed an unprecedented 26 years of uninterrupted labor peace. Considering the state of the sport’s labor relations following the 1994-95 players’ strike, that is quite an impressive accomplishment for the game.

Luxury Tax

The new CBA’s modifications to the luxury-tax system may represent the most significant victory for the owners in the new agreement. As Ken Rosenthal reported last night, the luxury-tax threshold will rise from the existing $189 million to $195 million in 2017. From there, the threshold will go up to $197 million, $206 million, $209 million, and $210 million, respectively, over the final four years of the CBA.

In addition, the penalties that clubs will pay for exceeding the luxury-tax threshold will also be adjusted in the new agreement. While teams modestly eclipsing the threshold will reportedly continue to incur penalties roughly approximate to those under the previous agreement — with fines ranging from 17.5% to 50.0% depending on how many years in a row the club has exceeded the threshold — any franchise that exceeds the limit by $20 million or more will now be subjected to an additional, supplemental tax of an extra 12%. Meanwhile, those franchises exceeding the limit by $40 million or more will potentially be subject to an even larger surcharge, resulting in a total tax of upwards of 90%.

While the modest increases to the luxury-tax threshold will provide some incremental benefit to the players, it’s hard to see these changes as anything but a win for the owners. As I discussed last year, the luxury tax is a major factor in the precipitous decline of the players’ share of total league revenues over the last 10-15 years. In particular, whereas the luxury-tax threshold was originally set at a level approximating roughly 90% of the average MLB team’s share of overall league revenues back in 2003, in recent years it has dropped to a level representing less than 65% of the average team’s revenue share.

As a result, the luxury tax now operates in many respects as a de facto salary cap for most teams, even those in the largest markets that have traditionally been the primary drivers of payroll growth in the sport.

Based on the terms of the deal reported last night, the new CBA will do little to reverse these trends.

Free-Agent Compensation

The players did secure a modest victory by persuading the owners to agree to a substantial modification of the qualifying-offer system for free agents beginning in the 2017-18 offseason. (The existing system will remain in place for the current offseason.) Specifically, beginning next winter, if a team extends to a player a qualifying offer, only to see him sign with another club, then the former team will receive a compensatory draft pick only if the player then signs a contract valued at $50 million or more. The specific pick received by the former team will reportedly depend on the size of the market in which it plays.

Meanwhile, also beginning next year, any team signing a free agent who received a qualifying offer will no longer be at risk of losing their first-round draft pick. Instead, under the terms of the new deal, teams whose payrolls are in excess of the luxury-tax threshold will be required to forfeit a second- and fifth-round draft pick, along with $1 million of their international-signing-bonus allotment (as discussed further below); teams under the luxury-tax threshold will be docked a third-round pick.

The rest of the qualifying offer system will reportedly remain unchanged, with Ken Rosenthal reporting that players must still remain on their former team’s roster for the entire season in order for the club to receive a compensatory draft pick. Similarly, the dollar value for the qualifying offer will continue to be determined based on the average of the salaries of the game’s top 125 players.

International Draft

Although the creation of an international draft had been expected to be one of the major sticking points of the CBA negotiations, the owners reportedly moved away from that demand earlier in the week after receiving considerable pushback from the union. Instead, the new CBA will reportedly focus on tweaking the existing international signing rules by creating firmer spending limits that teams will no longer be able to exceed. In particular, Jayson Stark has reported that, under the new agreement, each team will receive a bonus pool of around $5 million to spend on amateur international talent.

From a bargaining perspective, this seems like a reasonable compromise on the issue. The players can hang their hat on the fact that they were able to avoid subjecting amateur international players to a draft; from the league’s perspective, meanwhile, the owners will have attained some additional level of cost certainty with respect to amateur talent acquisition. That having been said, whether these new changes are ultimately sufficient to fix what most observers agreed had become broken system will likely depend on how the new spending limits are implemented, and how strictly they are enforced.

Roster Size

Although it looked earlier this week as if the new CBA would expand the size of each team’s active roster from 25 to 26 players, with some corresponding reductions to the size of the 40-man active rosters in September, the final agreement will reportedly maintain the pre-existing roster limits. As a result, those who were hoping that the new agreement would bring an end to the spectacle of expanded September rosters — resulting in as many as 58 players appearing in a single game — are likely to be disappointed.

http://deadspin.com/mlb-all-star-game-will-no-longer-determine-world-series-1789553195

Home-field advantage in the World Series will no longer be decided by which league wins the All-Star Game. Instead, World Series game 1, 2, 6, and 7 will be played in the ballpark of the pennant-winner with the better record.

(Players on the winning team will be rewarded with cash bonuses, which will be, for the vast majority of them, a much bigger incentive than home-field advantage for their league’s eventual champion ever was.)

This is as it should be, and yet, it has never been this way in the history of baseball: In the early days the site of Game 7 was decided by a coin flip, and from 1925 through 2002, home-field advantage alternated between leagues each year.

But the 2002 All-Star Game ended in a tie, and a befuddled Bud Selig, embarrassed that it happened in his native Milwaukee set out to make sure it would never happen again.

Starting in 2003, the clubs voted unanimously to have the All-Star Game determine where the World Series would open up: the much-derided “This Time it Counts” tagline was born. But it always felt like a solution in search of a problem. The circumstances that led to the 2002 tie were uncommon—it had only happened once before, in a rain-shortened game—and could have been addressed with minor tweaks, like expanded rosters and contingency pitchers held back for extra innings (both of which were eventually put into place anyway).

Yet the arrangement was made permanent. The American League won 11 of 14 All-Star Games played with home-field advantage on the line, and the team with home-field advantage won nine of 14 World Series.

It always felt arbitrary, even more than a coin toss would have: the Cubs, with MLB’s best record, won their championship on the road in a Game 7 held in Cleveland only because San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto got knocked around by Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez in a mid-July exhibition.

And now it’s gone, and a generation from now it’s going to be very weird to think back on this 14-year experiment and remember that it was real. The All-Star Game will continue to be fun: friendly, low-stakes fun, the way it was always meant to be.

 

[esmith08734]

Now I don't watch the All Star Game.
Better for the game in general, though.

 

[Hazmat]

It's great that the All-Star Game won't determine home field advantage for the WS anymore, that was idiotic.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Home-field advantage in the World Series will no longer be decided by which league wins the All-Star Game. Instead, World Series game 1, 2, 6, and 7 will be played in the ballpark of the pennant-winner with the better record.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

GOOD.

 

[Empyrean Heaven]

About goddamn time that HFA goes to the team with the better record. The All Star Game deciding HFA was idiotic, and the trading it back and forth each year before that even moreso.

 

[psynergylover]

Now I don't watch the All Star Game.

Pretty much, might as well just do the homerun derby all 3 days

 

[Hazmat]

About goddamn time that HFA goes to the team with the better record. The All Star Game deciding HFA was idiotic, and the trading it back and forth each year before that even moreso.

It's bolded in the OP. It goes to the team with the better record now.

Edit: Bah, you stealth edited.

 

[somesayyea]

good news

 

[Chase17]

Makes sense. Surprised it took so long to go to the more (or rather a) logical system.


Also means I will not be watching the all star game anymore

 

[FuriousOne]

Common sense prevails. However, the rule probably won the WS for the Cubs this year....they struggled at home during that series.

 

[Paltheos]

This is super common sense and I couldn't figure out why they hadn't implemented it for this long. Glad it's finally in place. Now a possibly stronger team won't be punished for the performances of largely unrelated groups of players and dumb luck.

 

[Sephzilla]

I'm glad that stupid All Star thing game is done

 

[rjc571]

I don't get why people even freaked out about the All Star Game ending in a tie that one time anyway. I mean, it's a freaking EXHIBITION game! The winner of the game has no more bearing on anything than the winner of a random Spring Training game.

 

[Chris R]

Now I don't watch the All Star Game.
Better for the game in general, though.

The sooner they get Berman away from the home run derby, the sooner I care about the only important event all-star related

Other than that it's a nice little break from watching almost every Mariners game all season.

 

[Sephzilla]

I don't get why people even freaked out about the All Star Game ending in a tie that one time anyway. I mean, it's a freaking EXHIBITION game! The winner of the game has no more bearing on anything than the winner of a random Spring Training game.

Nobody likes ties

 

[Generalpsyduck]

So many acronyms.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

About time.

 

[jfkgoblue]

I liked it tbh, made the game interesting, now it's going to turn into the terribleness that is the other leagues all star game

 

[Fox318]

Home-field advantage in the World Series will no longer be decided by which league wins the All-Star Game. Instead, World Series game 1, 2, 6, and 7 will be played in the ballpark of the pennant-winner with the better record.

 

[rjc571]

Nobody likes ties

Especially not Buck Showalter, since a tie score means he can't bring in his shutdown closer.

HEY-OOOOO!

 

[Mortemis]

Y'all missing the biggest news. No more chew in the mlb, at least for new players. Older players grandfathered in but still it'll be gone soon enough.

 

[Nester99]

I liked the old All -Star game rules, but over this is great news.

94 strike killed baseball for me for 2 decades.....Just starting to love it again (thank you blue jays!) and planning some summer trips around visiting some sweet parks. !

 

[Fox318]

I don't get why people even freaked out about the All Star Game ending in a tie that one time anyway. I mean, it's a freaking EXHIBITION game! The winner of the game has no more bearing on anything than the winner of a random Spring Training game.

Baseball games shouldn't end in ties.

Nobody likes ties.

Frankly I would have been pissed had I spent the money in 2002.

I do believe though that should that happen again Pitchers and players should be able to come back in the game for the All Star Break once a game enters say the 10th inning.

Or make the rosters even bigger.

The original point of the all star game was to see the best players on the field against players whom you might never see them play unless it was the world series.

Now with interleague play that isn't really an issue.

I want the game to be really fucking fun to watch. Things like Cal and Arod swapping positions, guys going all out for diving plays having fun with it, pitchers throwing a random eephus pitch.

It should be a celebration of the fun that baseball is and can be.

 

[CDV13]

Good. I get why they did it in the first place, but it is just not fair.

As a Cleveland fan, I was happy the Indians had it this year due to the ASG, but it should be changed. Best record gets HFA, it only makes sense.

 

[rjc571]

Baseball games shouldn't end in ties.

Nobody likes ties.

Frankly I would have been pissed had I spent the money in 2002.

I do believe though that should that happen again Pitchers and players should be able to come back in the game for the All Star Break once a game enters say the 10th inning.

Or make the rosters even bigger.

The original point of the all star game was to see the best players on the field against players whom you might never see them play unless it was the world series.

Now with interleague play that isn't really an issue.

I want the game to be really fucking fun to watch. Things like Cal and Arod swapping positions, guys going all out for diving plays having fun with it, pitchers throwing a random eephus pitch.

It should be a celebration of the fun that baseball is and can be.

I just don't see why the game can't still be all of that while ending in a tie. In fact regular season baseball games do end in ties on occasion (like a Cubs-Pirates game earlier this year).

 

[Saganator]

Very happy about the new agreement. MLBPA continues to be one of the strongest unions in America.

 

[jfkgoblue]

Y'all missing the biggest news. No more chew in the mlb, at least for new players. Older players grandfathered in but still it'll be gone soon enough.

It's not gonna stop them from dipping/chewing, you just won't have guys like K-Rod with a huge, obvious lip in anymore.

 

[Fox318]

I just don't see why the game can't still be all of that while ending in a tie. In fact regular season baseball games do end in ties on occasion (like a Cubs-Pirates game earlier this year).

You aren't wrong but I'd argue that part of the American hatred for ties stems from baseball being so important to our culture and history.

Extra innings is part of the game and teams and sabermetricians paranoid over pitch counts need to let it go just for this game which should be a focus point on creating new stars and new fans.

 

[Jazzy Network]

I haven't watched the All-Star game in years. I couldn't care less about them. I am glad they finally stopped the home field garbage.

 

[Fox318]

It's not gonna stop them from dipping/chewing, you just won't have guys like K-Rod with a huge, obvious lip in anymore.

Many guys get introduced to dip on the ball field and its the only place where they do it.(I mean where else in society can you spit at your workplace?)

Hell even when I was playing little league kids were chewing as young as 10 because we saw ball players doing it.

This could save lives and I'm all for it.

 

[entremet]

ASG deciding HFA was dumb but it was better than the ridiculous even and odd years system of before.

 

[arts&crafts]

September expanded roster size is so stupid. These are the most important games for a lot of teams in the hunt.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Who cares about the all star game ending in a tie.

Spoiler

(Who cares about the all star game.)

But here's my approach. The ASG shouldn't go on forever, first off. No 16 inning marathons. Limit the game to 2 or 3 extra innings at most. The respective managers should have their own teams' bullpens available for the 10th-plus innings only, and only when no all-star selections are available. (Meaning if the Cubs manager is coaching the NL, then the Cubs bullpen is the backup option in extra innings and after all all-star pitchers have been used.) If the game is still tied after the11th or 12th, then that's the way it ends. Because, really, who cares.

 

[BlastProcessing]

Baseball games shouldn't end in ties.

Nobody likes ties.

Frankly I would have been pissed had I spent the money in 2002.

I do believe though that should that happen again Pitchers and players should be able to come back in the game for the All Star Break once a game enters say the 10th inning.

Or make the rosters even bigger.

The original point of the all star game was to see the best players on the field against players whom you might never see them play unless it was the world series.

Now with interleague play that isn't really an issue.

I want the game to be really fucking fun to watch. Things like Cal and Arod swapping positions, guys going all out for diving plays having fun with it, pitchers throwing a random eephus pitch.

It should be a celebration of the fun that baseball is and can be.

Bringing pitchers back into the game in extra innings sounds like a massive injury risk. Maybe each team could have some minor league prospects hang around for emergency extra inning use. That could be cool.

 

[Friggz]

September expanded roster size is so stupid. These are the most important games for a lot of teams in the hunt.

i like rewarding teams with deep systems and i like rewarding minor league players that had strong seasons.

 

[arts&crafts]

i like rewarding teams with deep systems and i like rewarding minor league players that had strong seasons.

I am fine with that aspect, but you get stupid things like this year where some managers think they are so smart switching pitchers every single at bat L-R-L-R. It actually completely changes the game from a pitching perspective with 10 extra pitchers. For the bench I am fine with expanding the roster.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I hate the 1, 2, 6, 7 home field advantage anyways.

Granted, the bigger problem is that while a salary cap sort of exists, there's too many teams. Lots of teams scrape the bottom of the barrel payroll-wise because there's not enough money in baseball to justify every team trying as hard as they can.

 

[The Wraith]

Very happy about the new agreement. MLBPA continues to be one of the strongest unions in America.

What makes the MLBPA so strong is that the owners know they will strike a whole fucking season if the contract isn't fair. The game is making a lot of money because both sides know they need one another. Good on the players and owners for making this happen!

 

[Skellig Gra]

It's about time they got rid of that stupid all star game rule.

 

[MaulerX]

Excellent! About time actually.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

It's good that they do this, but it also means that the All-Star game is less watchable because there is nothing at stake now. If that makes sense.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Glad to see they got rid of the WS home field advantage being decided by the all star game.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

About time.

 

[ReAxion]

The unprecedented 26 years is trying to hide how much damage was done by Selig.

 

[SliceSabre]

Another 'Allstar' game I don't have to watch then.

 

[VendettaRed07]

Very happy about the new agreement. MLBPA continues to be one of the strongest unions in America.

Seriously. They are quite impressive.

 

[bonesmccoy]

As the NHL gradually slides under MLB's wing, I hope Bettman and his cabal notice how beneficial labour peace can be.

 

[Friggz]

Very happy about the new agreement. MLBPA continues to be one of the strongest unions in America.

I actually thought the owners got the upper hand here. The mlbpa took a shot on a chin for some crucial items (international dealings, minimum salary, and luxury tax).

 

[Frozenprince]

If it's a hard cap on Intl spending LA kids got fucked over harder than they did with a draft.

That's awful if true.

Clark basically got taken to the woodshed.