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Post by bloomstaxonomy on Dec 6, 2023 15:27:51 GMT -5
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where; it was tweeted out by someone fairly reputable iirc) that MLB might attempt to “fix” free agency - or, at the very least, attempt to influence it - so that the Winter Meetings are more exciting, or, more to the point, more like NFL free agency where all the big names sign pretty much the first and second days it opens. Names start dropping and connections start being made as soon as the legal tampering window opens several days prior to the official start of FA.
What are the pros and cons of MLB free agency as currently constructed, with specific consideration to “fan excitement and engagement”?
Will MLB interfere with FA? What could they do?
Should it be changed, in the name of heightening fan engagement in the offseason? Why or why not?
Thought this would make for an interesting meta discussion.
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Post by ematz1423 on Dec 6, 2023 15:32:51 GMT -5
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where; it was tweeted out by someone fairly reputable iirc) that MLB might attempt to “fix” free agency - or, at the very least, attempt to influence it - so that the Winter Meetings are more exciting, or, more to the point, more like NFL free agency where all the big names sign pretty much the first and second days it opens. Names start dropping and connections start being made as soon as the legal tampering window opens several days prior to the official start of FA. What are the pros and cons of MLB free agency as currently constructed, with specific consideration to “fan excitement and engagement”? Will MLB interfere with FA? What could they do? Should it be changed, in the name of heightening fan engagement in the offseason? Why or why not? Thought this would make for an interesting meta discussion. This seems the crux of it to me, what could they honestly do to speed up the process? Then again it's Rob Manfred we're talking about so who knows what type of half baked idea he could pull out of his you know what. |
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,794
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Post by nomar on Dec 6, 2023 15:35:16 GMT -5
I would think some sort of tax that you have to pay if the signing happens later than a given window ends. The issue is that would be to the detriment of both owners and players and strictly be for fan entertainment, so I’m not sure it would be easy to sell to the franchises.
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Post by bloomstaxonomy on Dec 6, 2023 15:37:04 GMT -5
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where; it was tweeted out by someone fairly reputable iirc) that MLB might attempt to “fix” free agency - or, at the very least, attempt to influence it - so that the Winter Meetings are more exciting, or, more to the point, more like NFL free agency where all the big names sign pretty much the first and second days it opens. Names start dropping and connections start being made as soon as the legal tampering window opens several days prior to the official start of FA. What are the pros and cons of MLB free agency as currently constructed, with specific consideration to “fan excitement and engagement”? Will MLB interfere with FA? What could they do? Should it be changed, in the name of heightening fan engagement in the offseason? Why or why not? Thought this would make for an interesting meta discussion. This seems the crux of it to me, what could they honestly do to speed up the process? Then again it's Rob Manfred we're talking about so who knows what type of half baked idea he could pull out of his you know what. Or Theo! Personally, I think Ohtani is biggest fish the Winter Meetings have ever seen, and thus the reason why it has been so quiet so far. Many teams are waiting on his decision because of how immensely he impacts the market. Still, it is interesting to know that MLB is taking note, and is not happy about the slow burn. I’m not sure how I would change it myself. |
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Post by funkybuddha on Dec 6, 2023 15:55:44 GMT -5
You could always just put a deadline on it. If you don't sign by X date you can't sign until after the season starts. Players Union would never allow, (and more so the agents involved) and they probably shouldn't. It is a shame. It used to be so much fun and it has been a slog for years now.
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Post by ematz1423 on Dec 6, 2023 16:01:35 GMT -5
An idea I just had that could potentially make some sense would be for there to be a window early in the offseason where if you sign a player attached to a QO you don't incur the draft pick penalty. That doesn't move the needle for the QO players but would add some urgency to the teams to try and QO players signed quickly.
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Post by congusgambler33 on Dec 6, 2023 16:01:45 GMT -5
I would expect them to interfere with the process as it is now. Baseball, in general, has changed dramatically over the years depending on commissioner whims and i firmly believe that a lot of the old time hall of Famers would have no chance of being there today, especially pitchers.
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Post by kwodes on Dec 6, 2023 16:03:19 GMT -5
You could always just put a deadline on it. If you don't sign by X date you can't sign until after the season starts. Players Union would never allow, (and more so the agents involved) and they probably shouldn't. It is a shame. It used to be so much fun and it has been a slog for years now. it's frustrating for sure. The owners and front offices have figured out that if they just wait out the players, eventually they get antsy and just want to figure out where they'll be playing so the price drops. Not all cases, obviously, but for the most part. |
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Post by bloomstaxonomy on Dec 6, 2023 16:26:40 GMT -5
You could always just put a deadline on it. If you don't sign by X date you can't sign until after the season starts. Players Union would never allow, (and more so the agents involved) and they probably shouldn't. It is a shame. It used to be so much fun and it has been a slog for years now. it's frustrating for sure. The owners and front offices have figured out that if they just wait out the players, eventually they get antsy and just want to figure out where they'll be playing so the price drops. Not all cases, obviously, but for the most part. Yeah but you’d figure it’d be a more prominent issue in the NFL since they have a salary cap. Alas, ‘tis not. |
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Post by ematz1423 on Dec 6, 2023 16:59:35 GMT -5
it's frustrating for sure. The owners and front offices have figured out that if they just wait out the players, eventually they get antsy and just want to figure out where they'll be playing so the price drops. Not all cases, obviously, but for the most part. Yeah but you’d figure it’d be a more prominent issue in the NFL since they have a salary cap. Alas, ‘tis not. Perhaps but in the NFL all teams are basically threats to sign any player at any given time, in the MLB it's pretty easy to say the bottom 15-20 teams in payroll/spending aren't signing elite guys like Ohtani. |
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Post by Underwater Johnson on Dec 6, 2023 19:07:25 GMT -5
There already is an unofficial deadline, which is 2-3 weeks before spring training. The only way I can see to make it more “active” is if you wait to start FA until Jan 1st or something like that.
The reason the other sports have crazy, fast FA periods is they all have salary caps and some have floors, so every team has the same pool of money to offer. The MLB is the most capitalist of the sports (the NFL is basically a totalitarian state but I digress) and the players benefit from its free market. So the MLBPA would be very resistant to a break with the status quo.
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Post by bellhorndingers21 on Dec 6, 2023 19:17:44 GMT -5
What financial incentive do the owners (and players) have from a signing frenzy like the other leagues? Do we really talk hockey or basketball that much after the first week of July? The NFL draft is much more interesting then their FA period. Any additional winter attention seems to only benefit the media. Tickets don't go on sale until January. Holiday merchandise sales would seem minimal.
This feels like media members crying over decreased clicks. Maybe the Sports Illustrated Chatgpt articles rattled them.
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Post by jimed14 on Dec 8, 2023 14:42:45 GMT -5
I have a really hard time with this concept of quickening free agency. The only way they could possibly do that is with a cap. Without a cap, there is no limit to any contract, so agents are always going to be slow to sign deals. Any concept to force deals to be signed quicker is going to favor the owners more than the players.
I have an attention span of more than 5 minutes though, so I am probably in the minority of being fine with the offseason taking all of the offseason.
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Post by ematz1423 on Dec 8, 2023 14:47:51 GMT -5
I have a really hard time with this concept of quickening free agency. The only way they could possibly do that is with a cap. Without a cap, there is no limit to any contract, so agents are always going to be slow to sign deals. Any concept to force deals to be signed quicker is going to favor the owners more than the players. I have an attention span of more than 5 minutes though, so I am probably in the minority of being fine with the offseason taking all of the offseason. Part of me would like a quicker offseason but if you think about what is the rush? So theoretically if all the big FAs signed before the end of December then what? We sit there for 3 months and wait for spring training anyway. I'm with you for the most part, let the offseason last the full offseason there is really no rush whether they get clicks and interest in December or if they get clicks and interest in January I don't see the difference. |
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Post by bloomstaxonomy on Dec 8, 2023 22:25:24 GMT -5
It’s funny because if I had to bet money on it, baseball fans are statistically more patient (however you’d research that in measurable, observable ways) than fans of any other core four US sports at the moment. So maybe the answer precludes that MLB fans are ok with waiting while NFL fans would get cranky.
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Post by notstarboard on Dec 9, 2023 9:07:50 GMT -5
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where; it was tweeted out by someone fairly reputable iirc) that MLB might attempt to “fix” free agency - or, at the very least, attempt to influence it - so that the Winter Meetings are more exciting, or, more to the point, more like NFL free agency where all the big names sign pretty much the first and second days it opens. Names start dropping and connections start being made as soon as the legal tampering window opens several days prior to the official start of FA. What are the pros and cons of MLB free agency as currently constructed, with specific consideration to “fan excitement and engagement”? Will MLB interfere with FA? What could they do? Should it be changed, in the name of heightening fan engagement in the offseason? Why or why not? Thought this would make for an interesting meta discussion. This seems the crux of it to me, what could they honestly do to speed up the process? Then again it's Rob Manfred we're talking about so who knows what type of half baked idea he could pull out of his you know what. Teams fill out a punch card with FAs they're interested in at the start of the offseason. If teams don't make formal offers to their desired FAs in time, MLB gives "zombie offers" to those players on behalf of the teams. Those zombie offers continue until eventually one team lucks into an accepted contract and walks off with the free agent. |
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Post by bloomstaxonomy on Dec 19, 2023 17:39:24 GMT -5
Maybe I'm biased because I started this, but there were several comments in the Free Agency thread about free agency and some general annoyance about it this year. Count me among those particularly annoyed that Yamamoto is a bottleneck on the offseason. Of course there have been good players, great players, and stars that have signed in January or even February before, but of course there have also been exciting Winter Meetings and a lot more activity in (many) offseasons past that have exhilarated us.
There was discussion of whether or not casual fans even care about free agency, with the self-aware caveat that this forum in particular cares a whole awful lot about baseball and can play Immaculate Grid like nobody's business, but there is surely some middle ground in that there are many baseball fans who can be knowledgeable and patient but also want to see their teams improve ASAP and perhaps receive a new shirsey underneath the tree. I can understand the grumblings.
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