Quote:100% agree with your thought on MLB. The lack of a salary cap and a poor revenue sharing system kills a lot of smaller market teams chances of landing star players other than growing one through the farm system and hoping they sign a team friendly deal.

 

I'm a Brewers fan and I've seen CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, and Zack Greinke leave in free agency over the past several years because they were going to the highest bidder and we simply couldn't compete with the $$$ markets like New York and Los Angeles can throw at players. It wasn't that our owner was cheap, but rather we operate in the red when the total salaries reach $100 million.

 

For reference, the Dodgers receive $280 million each year from their local TV contract and the Yankees own their TV station which nets them around $100 million and is expected to increase. Royals, Pirates, and Brewers all make less than $20 million per year and it would take them 14 years to match the revenue that the Dodgers receive in a single season.

 

Signing big name players obviously doesn't guarantee anyone a championship, but it allows for larger markets to easily outbid smaller markets and a big money free agent bust won't cripple Los Angeles when it could kill a team like Kansas City for a significant amount of time.

Again, the Pirates ownership decided to go the cheap route. Pittsburgh Assoc. and McClatchy wouldn't pay anyone. When talent got good they simply traded it away for low price players. The new owner isn't having that. He wants to win, and it's shown in late season moves, and paying his stars.

 

It's all up to the owners in baseball.

 

Look at the Yankees now for example. The Steinbrenner sons are going cheap, so they can line their pockets. Daddy wanted to win, and he spent to do it.

 

LA Angels, I think they've had highest pay role for two years. They are barely average.

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