FanGraphs Audio: Craig Edwards Recalls He Is a Lawyer
Episode 887
I welcome FanGraphs writer Craig Edwards to the program. Craig and I discuss the growing tension between team owners and players, MLB’s claim that a season of fanless games will result in $4 billion in losses, the move to shorten the amateur draft, and the discourse surrounding it all. Plus, Craig briefly puts his lawyer hat back on to assess the so-called smoking gun email, and we recall the 2011 World Series.
Relevant Craig pieces:
- Parsing MLB’s Claim of a $4 Billion Loss
- After Years of Profits, MLB Owners Ask Players to Subsidize Potential Losses
- Five-Round MLB Draft a Shortsighted, Pound-Foolish Move
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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 43 min play time.)
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Meg is the editor-in-chief 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 Bluesky @megrowler.fangraphs.com.
You mention that “there’s no [players’] winning the PR battle” and that the owners are not being “”good stewards of the game. The players are no better. The MLBPA agrees (1) to shrink the amateur draft from 40 to 5 rounds, defer bonuses for drafted players, and limit bonuses for undrafted players to $20K and (2) a service time agreement that shafts young players such as Bo Bichette and similar players that were brought up during last season. All so that established major leaguers can get an extra year of service, and thus make more money. The players are just as greedy as the owners, and neither side cares about the long term effect on the game.