Kyler Tucker, the top free agent on the market, just signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed a 4-year deal that pays him $60 million a year. Just like last offseason, the defending champs are pretty
much buying an All-Star team. As much as some people do not want to admit it, the MLB has a Dodgers problem. However, the Washington Nationals are also a problem for the MLB.
With the CBA expiring after this season, baseball has a lot of problems to resolve. They have to solve the Dodgers problem and the Nationals problem. One team is a financial super power with unprecedented access to cash, while the other team refuses to give out free agent contracts worth more than $15 million.
All of this is alienating fans and setting the stage for an inevitable showdown at the CBA negotiation table. Fans have pretty much come to terms with the fact that there will be a lockout next year. The only question now is how long will the work stoppage last. Hopefully it does not eliminate the entire season.
It is crystal clear that the MLB financial system is broken. Right now, the Dodgers are paying more in luxury tax bills than 11 teams are in total payroll. On both ends of the spectrum, that is a problem. Fans do not want to see teams buy a dynasty, but they also do not want to see other teams not try to win at all.
This is why many fans are warming up to the idea of a salary cap and salary floor system. It is what we see in the NBA, NFL and NHL. This system works well also. We see non-traditional markets succeed in a way that would be impossible to pull off in the MLB. In this system, the Kansas City Royals creating a dynasty would be basically impossible.
Some fans argue that any owner can spend like the Dodgers. Maybe that was true five or six years ago, but this just ignores the economic reality of the situation now. Including the luxury tax, the Dodgers expenses are over half a billion at this point. There are only a handful of teams that could sustain that level of spending.
Some fans may not want to admit it, but the MLB has a serious Dodgers problem. Their insane TV deal, access to international markets and hedge fund led ownership group gives them a situation other teams cannot compete with. This is fun for Dodgers fans, but a real bummer for the other 29 fanbases.
However, the Dodgers are not the only problem the MLB is going to have to deal with. The Washington Nationals represent the other side of the coin. After winning the World Series in 2019 with a top 10 payroll, Nationals ownership suddenly stopped spending money.
It has gotten to the point where the Nats are one of the most frugal teams in all of baseball. On the surface, it appears as if Nats ownership has totally checked out. That is a problem and is alienating the fanbase. Since the 2020-21 offseason, the Nats have not given out a free agent contract worth more than $15 million. This is honestly a slap in the face for fans.
A salary floor is needed in this sport. As smart as teams like the Brewers and Rays are, they will never overcome the financial firepower of the Dodgers. Even the bigger market teams are struggling to keep up with the financial Goliath that is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When the Nats and Dodgers take the field for the Nationals home opener, there will be 14 players making at least $10 million. All 14 of them will be wearing Dodgers blue. This is just an example of a system that is completely broken.
Forget about owners vs players for a second, this system is not in the best interest of the consumer. Baseball is built on the backs of the fans. Right now, the system is not working for the fans. Only three or four teams have any chance to grab the real free agents. We pretty much know who will win the World Series already.
The CBA is looming like a dark shadow over the league right now. Nobody is happy with the status quo at the moment and there is a real appetite for change among fans. Owners will be fighting for a salary cap, and for the first time in recent memory, the fans will be behind them.
However, a salary cap simply will not work without a floor. The Dodgers are not the only problem here. Teams like the Nationals are just as big of an issue. The Nationals are not a small market club, but ownership is spending like that. They have thrown in the towel. This is not only bad for Nats fans, but also the sport.
A work stoppage is coming after this season. Hopefully the fans are considered in these negotiations. I have my doubts because the more likely scenario is the owners and players fighting for their own interests. As the MLB grows as a financial entity, it feels like the fans are being left behind.
