FanGraphs Audio: Craig Edwards Notes Several Coincidences

Episode 850

FanGraphs writer Craig Edwards joins the program to discuss this offseason’s chilly free agent market, what Yasmani Grandal’s deal may signal about the state of labor going forward, the decoupling of winning and profit in baseball, and what (apart from a strike) we might write about in the event of a labor stoppage.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 47 min play time.)





Meg is the managing editor of FanGraphs and the co-host of Effectively Wild. Prior to joining FanGraphs, her work appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside. You can follow her on twitter @megrowler.

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scooter262
5 years ago

I think it behooves the owners to give back a bit of money to players, rather than risk a potentially devastating work stoppage.

The following concessions from the owners make sense to me, would go a long way to getting more money in players’ pockets, and would engender good will amongst fans:

1. Pay minor leaguers. Without breaking their banks, the owners could gain a lot of good wiil by paying minor leaguers a living wage.
2. Raise the MLB minimum salary to a cool $1 million. This would get money into the hands of some of the most underpaid players, based on the value they provide.
3. Eliminate or greatly raise the level of the Luxury Tax. This would allow teams to more freely bid on the available free agents.

If the owners did those 3 things in advance of the next CBA, writers, fans, and even players, would be less able to criticize owners for trying to grab every cent they can. It might go a long way to thawing the mood of the players over the lack of team spending in free agency.