MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA chief Tony Clark each chatted with the media today in advance of tonight’s All-Star Game. Here are a few highlights from their comments:
- While the new CBA instituted some rather significant changes to the international signing system, there remain quite a few ad hoc rules in place — with variation, in particular, based on a player’s country of origin. Manfred suggested a more comprehensive change, with the intent of establishing one uniform system for acquiring foreign professional talent, as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes (Twitter links). Clark expressed general agreement with that concept, which suggests that the league and Union will continue working to create one standardized means of acquiring talent from foreign professional leagues in Japan, Korea, Cuba and others.
- The leaguewide power surge has been the source of much discussion of late, with Manfred suggesting there has been no change to the game ball that would explain it. In his most recent comments, he suggested that the current ball falls within rather wide established standards, while also hinting he’s not exactly displeased to see more balls leaving the yard. A tighter variance in testing may be one possible solution, Manfred said (and Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal tweets). But he also noted that bats could be as much of a cause as the baseballs and suggested that MLB will begin testing bats as well, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. As for the MLBPA, Clark says “health and safety” considerations — presumably, recent complaints over blisters feature among them — have led the union to engage the league on the topic, Shaikin tweets.
- Changes in home run propensity and the run-scoring environment can impact the player market in subtle ways; so, too, does the change from a fifteen to a ten-day minimum DL stint. Of course, that latter modification also bears more directly on roster movement, since it makes it easier for teams to give rest to slightly injured or worn down players. Manfred suggested that some organizations may have gone too far already with aggressive DL placements, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. “I don’t like some of the activity in terms of what’s going on with the 10-day DL,” said Manfred. That did not seem to be a concern shared by Clark, who indicated he had not received complaints from the players about the way the 10-day DL has functioned.
- Manfred also touched upon a few open stadium issues. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. “I continue to believe Tampa (Bay) is a viable major-league market, and I also believe it may be better than the alternatives than we have out there,” Manfred said of the Rays and their efforts to move into a newly constructed, more modern facility. “And I am hopeful we get to a resolution.” The commissioner did concede that eventually there may come a point where alternatives must be considered but stressed that such a point is not close at hand. Topkin adds that based on Manfred’s comments about expansion/relocation on Monday, the primary alternatives are believed to be Montreal, Charlotte and Mexico City (or elsewhere in Mexico).
- Regarding the ongoing stadium issues for the cross-country Athletics, Manfred again offered hope that the team would not need to relocate (via MLB.com’s Mark Newman). Newly hired A’s president Dave Kaval, who was brought in largely to oversee the stadium process, has said recently that the team hopes to have a proposal for the site of a new facility this year, and Manfred is heartened by the efforts being put forth. “I think the renewed interest that [managing partner] John Fisher has shown in finding a new site in Oakland is positive,” said Manfred. “Baseball has had a long history of commitment to its communities. We have been the sport least likely to relocate. We’d like to have Oakland be a success. I think the identification of a single site in Oakland will be a step forward in that stadium process.”
- Newman also notes that Manfred continues to have interest in expanding the league, though the commissioner said expansion will not become a prominent focus until the stadium issues for both the Rays and A’s are resolved. “I know the Mayor of Montreal has been very vocal about bringing baseball back to Montreal,” said Manfred. “Charlotte’s a possibility. And I’d like to think that Mexico City or some other place in Mexico would be a possibility.”
- Finally, Clark addressed the long-simmering issue of substandard wages for minor-league players. Though the MLBPA does not technically represent non-40-man players, almost all of its members spent at least some time playing in the minors without a 40-man spot. Still, Clark largely demurred when asked about the union’s role in the minimum-wage dispute between minor leaguers and MLB organizations. “We’ve done what we can where we can,” Clark said (via Shaikin, on Twitter).
Mexico City would be a disaster. After 24 years, people have yet to accept Colorado stats due to altitude. Mexico City is 2,000 feet HIGHER than Denver. Monterrey would be a much better choice, if Mexico gets a team. Monterrey in the AL, Montreal in the NL could give a nice mixture for 8 4 team divisions.
Mexico in general would be a disaster
Too much corruption
Montreal would be a good place and create a rivalry in the AL for Canada
Montreal????? Haha I grew up watching baseball & when the Dodgers played their, attendance went up to 10 to 12 thousand fans based on 4,000 per game! Great memories & some great players, but they better do there research or it could be a disaster in waiting & it would be sad for that great city! What’s really changed in 10 years? I say no! ….Mexico, financially would be a great success, but too many problems! As greedy as MLB is, would they really make the leap?
You forget the team was good. They grew a crowd and then the players strike hit. They had the best record in baseball. What did they do? They sold off all their talent and people in Montreal felt betrayed, and stopped going to the games. Either way later on they grew about the same amount of fans to the game as the rays did
Mexico would be a nightmare
You got the fans yes… loads of them. But, too much corruption. Unless the violence and corruption leave… it’ll be a nightmare
We’ll have a pro baseball team in Guam before Mexico.
Suggest you get out the old English book for a review of their/there/they’re
Mannyl101: I suggest you get out the old English book for a review of their/there/they’re.
I mean, Chicago has 2 teams. Violence and corruption are our calling cards these days.
Montreal was the 2nd sport for along time. Then they got good and a World Series was ripped away from them by the 1994 strike. Then they split the team to half in Montreal and half in San Juan. With a stadium downtown, put in the AL east where they will get 9 home games with Toronto, Boston, and the Yankees. They also would get Cleveland and Detroit relatively close. Montreal is a huge city and s huge revenue palace if done correctly. Will have huge TV rights either with Rogers or TSN. It can easily work there. Move the Rays to Canada
You’re spot on. I lived in Montreal during the strike year and that’s exactly what happened. The stadium didn’t help either; need a new park downtown. CFL team moved downtown and attendance has been better.
Muphry’s Law strikes
Cuba**
” And I’d like to think that Mexico City or some other place in Mexico would be a possibility.”
Talk about someone in charge who is out of touch with reality.
$3 per hour is a big time manufacturing wage in Mexico. Any job that pays as much as $3 per hour is difficult to find. One US dollar per hour is the norm.
Narco violence in Mexico is on par with jihadi violence in Syria and elsewhere. On the BestGore site you can watch videos of Mexicans having their heads, arms and legs being hacked off The videos are worse than those from ISIS.
The estimates on the death toll in Afghanistan from 2001-present and Mexico 2005-present are about the same. Some parts are perfectly safe… some parts are essentially active war zones.
Mexico has less Gun Deaths that the Good Old USA
mexico also has a little over 1/3 of the population
per capita is still less
Much of it uneducated, even by liberal standards.
Umm Violence aside one thing that NO ONE points out here is the Travel challenge for Teams. If you look at how Baseball teams are situated The Max Flight time from any City to any City is 5 hrs not including that when you did go on the Road like that you spent a week there not 3/4 days max because after New York you would do Phil, Bos or Balt as examples. Minimum Flight Time from Phoenix to Mexico City is 31/2 Hours not including Customs for a one city stop. So Imagine a 4 to 5 hr hassle 27 times per year, the Union already wants to reign in Travel, that is the winning argument of why not. I can see a Team hosting games a few times a year there especially a team that draws poorly like the NFL with London
Too Miuch corruption in Mexico, have you been living in a Cave with Trump and Family !
Probably 65% of MLB fans voted for Trump.
I might be light on that. Curt Schilling is a viable Senatorial/Presidential candidate for MLB fans.
Keep your political thoughts out of this. Cartels run rapid. Government takes money. Corrupt cops. People getting their head chomped off.
Unless these issues go away… then the mlb should stay out of Mexico
Then that’s more than the Nation at Large at 46 % of what he Got !
You give Baseball fans no Credit for being Intelligence Voters .
And you make an Bias Comment about another Country and it’s People, You must have voted for the Con Man !
If I had a vote I’d vote for you to use proper English.
Right Mexico is for all purposes a war zone The Cartels run Amok throughout Mexico and the drug wars are enormous and about the gun deaths. factor in the beheadings and tortures it is bad and I have friends from Mexico (educated friends) it is very bad not the place for a ML league team unless they prefer living in compounds.
Orlando already has a Stadium in place just got to move fence back.
Hawaii? New Orleans has where the Saints play,Where Colts play,Where Packers play,San Jose where Earthquakes play,OKC?
A team in Honolulu should be viable, with all the tourism there.
Indianapolis already had a minor league team
The only way Montreal works is it it’s an AL East team. Period.
Vancouver
I think it’s kinda funny that Toronto is in the American League, you know, being that it is a Canadian city. The same would go for a future team in Mexico.
Anyways, if I was gonna put a team in Mexico, I would put it Guadalajara, or Monterrey. Seems more sensible. That said, Mexico City has at least 7 Million more people than the other big cities in Mexico. I don’t think attendance would be an issue in Mexico city. Might not be able to say the same in other cities.
you know America is a continent right? Canada is in North America…
Fun Fact: Canada in is North AMERICA
It scares me just how many people have no concept of “America” being more than the USA.
What are they teaching in schools these days?
How to use a cell phone, iPod and how to play poker online.
How many Canadians refer to themselves as “Americans”? It’s the American League, and Canada is in one of the Americas, but for all intents and purposes the American League is named after America, The United States of. To suggest something is wrong with people that would assume as much makes you seem as pretentious as your probably are.
Because 99.9% of time when people say America, they mean the US. Not just people from here, but from other countries as well. It scares me that you couldn’t logic that out yourself. What are they teaching in schools these days?
They also don’t teach kids how to read clocks with hands anymore, nor teach them to tie their shoes. Teachers are also forced to teach them subjects like math using common core.
They teach?????? I thought all they did is say how wrong we are
That’s just a false statement. United Statians believe that they referred as “Americans”, but outside of the US, Americans are the people that live in this continent, not only the US.
I travel the world non stop and I’m calling BS on that statement. Nobody introduces himself as American and then gets a follow-up question, “Oh, which American nation are you from?” Nobody.
I agree. Only United Statians are pretentious enough to call themselves “Americans”. People usually introduce themselves with their country, not their continent, I don’t see many people from Italy introducing themselves as “Europeans”.
“United States of” is like a descriptor in the nation’s name. Saying Americans should be United Statesians would be like saying someone from the People’s Republic of China should be People’s Republican. Obviously China isn’t a continent, but China is the country name and “People’s Republic of” is describing it. It’s all part of the name, but America is the name of the country, essentially. If you say you’re American, everywhere around the world, people know what you mean (no matter what they think of you, save your American err..”united statesian” apologist crap).
“And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free” USA USA USA USA
As long as you pay your taxes and don’t do any “illegal” sure, you’re free.
Should be montreal and charlotte gettig teams
Baseball needs fewer teams, not more teams.
I agree that Tampa can have a team with good attendance. But to do that, actually put the stadium in TAMPA. They have shown that it doesn’t work in St. Pete, and a new stadium there wouldn’t do anything imo
I don’t think they would have a good attendance regardless.
I know the stadium is kind of a ways away.
Miami is right there and they dont draw a huge attendance
Yeah because they built it in Little Havana because the Cubans love baseball. They certainly do, but don’t want to spend that kind of money to support a team they splurge on and then blow up and trade away. Plus the ballpark is in a less than desirable area with limited parking.
But keep in mind that the Marlins organization is poorly run, and it shows on the field. The Rays, on the other hand, have experienced at least moderate success while operating on a limited budget.
And even when they’re successful they can’t fill up the stadium with their own fans. It was kind of sick listening to Boston fans out-cheer the home team during a pennant race.
It’s pretty sad. It’s like watching a rays game. Even when they’re winning. You see more open seats than filled ones
Florida is a great baseball state… just not in terms of fandom of their actual teams.
It’s a great spring training state
Then you leave
Yeah for a cheap admission price, not to support an MLB ticket price.
Just get rid of it
Aww you cannot field a position
Tough
I have said for many years that if they expand they should have a team in Vegas. Not only has the population grown immensely but it is clearly a destination trip for many to go see their favorite team there. The NFL and NHL knows and MLB should follow.
I thought about that but it’s sits about 1000 feet higher than az. It’ll be really hot. I personally don’t think hockey or football will do great there
It would 1000% have to be a domed ballpark, due to Vegas summer heat, and with over $750M of new room tax money going to the Raiders’ planned stadium, there is no appetite at all for more NV public spending.
Then, there’s the gambling issue and that they’d pretty much have to accept Pete Rose in the HOF first.
I still don’t get EXACTLY what the gambling issue is. What it is specifically that leagues don’t want to happen. I get the general idea that we don’t want gambling mixed with the sport but I have yet to hear anyone really explain why it’s specifically a problem we should be worried about.
same what is the exact problem here
I caught a ball from this season
It’s a little heavier but not harder
Moving Iakland to San Jose is actually a really good idea. I’ve never heard that about San Francisco but if that’s true that’s some grade A bs. They’re basically screwing over the league, a team, and a fan base.
Lmao favorite comment on this thread
Of couse San Jose California has a higher population than both SF&OAK combined and passionate fans of their only pro sports team, but MLB refuses to pay off the Giants for their utterly stupid “territorial rights” that the A’s gave them in 1992 when the Giants were supposed to move to Tampa. Of course the A’s gave them those rights thinking theyd move there but nope, they moved to SF proper and kept those BS “rights” for no reason other than to put a financial chokehold on the A’s so they’d have to move.
Theres no more rotten team owners in MLB than the Giants, by far. MLB has shown no spine in even attempting to dissolve these meaningless “rights” so now the A’s cant move to San Jose, which is FURTHER AWAY from the Giants. Absolutely ridiculous on every level.
Angelos is pretty bad too.
MLB doesn’t even want to do anything about the ridiculously low pay of minor league players. Of course they’re not going to bother trying to intervene with the Oakland/San Francisco problem. Doing things like that would actually require them to grow a spine.
There are plenty more rotten owners than the Giants’…Loria anyone?
But seriously, the Giants have had a minor league team in SJ for decades, they’re not just holding onto it to mess with the A’s. The Giants welcome the competition and are in no way trying to get the A’s to move, that’s just crazy.
Get over yourself. Your billionaire owners literally pull a “Major League” style team moving strategy, put absolute no money into your team, let your stadium turn into a toilet, sell off every possible player of worth, and you blame a team you play 4 times a year for your situation. Sound logic.
The Giants are surely the ones making lew Wolff accept $60 mil from collective bargaining and put a $40 mil team on the field. Those bastards!
The rotten team owners are the ones you ludicrously defend to your own detriment. Their greed and corruption (as the theme of this thread seems to be going) are the reason that even if the A’s had retained the rights to SJ, they would have surely already sold them to the Giants long ago any damn way! Think about it…that’s exactly what would have happened. Be mad at them for giving it away for free, not for it being with the Giants.
How you can seriously attack one of the smartest, most caring front offices in the sport with this tired argument when your ownership sits back, takes your money and gives you nothing is what’s actually “absolutely ridiculous on every level”.
Not true about Giants wanting them to move. A’s former owners gave up the rights to San Jose so the Giants could move there. They were voted down and by some miracle they had their back up plan 3 months later. When the A’s asked the same favor which was east of San Jose the Giants refused their request. Just shows that giant owners think about money only.
Your post makes no sense. How your disjointed, confused, and evidence free story is proof that the Giants owners only think about money is ridiculous.
I also like how, after seeing my post, you ignore all my valid, reality based points and go directly into another weak attack on the Giants. Since your story makes little sense, let’s look at your flimsy argument: you say the Giants are the only owners in sports (or people in the world I’m sure) that think about money. But surely lew Wolff is a full on philanthropist right? He’s giving away money to fans on a nightly basis right? Oh no? He’s actually more motivated by money than winning? And would move the A’s in a heartbeat if given the chance? And could give a crap whether A’s fans like it or not? Well that’s interesting!
But your hatred for the Giants makes total sense…the way A’s fans defend the guys that are actively screwing them is frighteningly reminiscent of the current political climate. You’re not helping yourself
At least the Giants path to money goes through “make the fans happy land”, as opposed to the A’s path to money which goes through “screw the fans land”. All owners are out for money, and most know that success brings money, go watch “The Producers” to see Wolff’s strategy.
But seriously, what owners don’t think about money!?! They’re all billionaires!
Leta just pretend that the violence, and corruption wouldnt be an issue. .I don’t know how a team in Mexico would function. Canada is different because they speak English in that country, not so much in Mexico. That makes me think that perhaps Latino players might be more inclined to play for a team there because there would not be a language barrier. The opposite would then be true for American players. Would certainly be interesting.
I don’t know where the best expansion/relocation team would be out of US/Canada, but I can guarantee it will not be in Cuba
Well that didn’t go where it was supposed to
MLB should look at adding a team in Puerto Rico there would certainly be a crowd to fill the stadium and many people already speak English.
I’m most interested in the minor league minimum wage. Those guys aren’t making a living wage. For fringe guys who aren’t going to get past high A, it’s not worth it.
Also interested in the new DL. Teams and players seem to love it.
I agree, those guys are getting really screwed. When you look at the fact that many of them are making a wage that is at or below the poverty level, it’s ridiculous.
Unfortunately, their only real options at this point are to try to go to court to challenge MLB’s anti-trust exemption (which has been ongoing, but not really getting anywhere) or to unionize, and that would just open another whole can of worms entirely.
It’s like u have to have a rich family just to get through the minor leagues. Could be the bigger reason there are fewer black players nowadays.
It’s like interning, only the rich kids can afford to intern without pay or with little pay. That’s not good for the eventual on field product.
I’d rather see a million guys that came from nowhere to become stars and change their families fortunes for generations than one Bryce Harper who came from wealth, spent his whole life focused solely on baseball, and is going to make a rich family richer.
Invest in the youth, not just the ones who already have money!
Evidence, please? The Latin players are coming from relatively low incomes.
One draft like all the other sports. Simple.
I don’t think the other sports sign lots Dominican teenagers out of academies and then develop them through seven levels of minor leagues
Other sports don’t even draft high schoolers
I find it strange that everyone focuses on Tampa Bay’s attendance but the Marlins are a thousand times worse and Manfred never mentions them.
And at least with Tampa there’s tv ratings and a large fanbase, the stadium is just poorly located.
Its possible the marlins attendance could go up when they get new owners
The Rays have an owner that appears to actually want his team to succeed and just can’t cut it… whereas the Marlins have Loria who got where he was with his cabal buddies Selig, Henry, and Werner.
Bring a team to the uk!!! Baseball is 1000 times better than cricket
Perhaps locations such as San Juan, Havana, or Santo Domingo, would be better locales, especially given the large number of players who come from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
Playing in the Caribbean in the summer might be tough, requiring domed stadiums, but it is not insurmountable.
I’d love to see international expansion into markets that truly appreciate baseball like Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico but could the fan base their support MLB and their present salaries when the general populace earns such low wages. It would seem some major salary reforms would need to be in place in MLB in order for those countries to be a feasible location. Either that or some big time subsidies incorporated by baseball. I don’t envision that happening anytime soon with MLB and the MLBPA.
a team would be extremely interesting in the Caribbean, but there is no real place to put it. Cuba due to diplomatic relations would decline a team being in Havana, and the ticket prices would have to be extremely low to have a team in DRP, Puerto Rico, or Haiti
Willemstad, Curacao would be fun, but the market is too small there
Actually Puerto Rico uses American dollars and get paid around the same amount as Americans it’s pretty much another state at this point
Perhaps. No sweat shops in Puerto Rico…bad for USA manufacturers. 🙁
No no and no. They put the Marlins in Little Havana because Cubans love baseball, but they just don’t want to pay MLB gate prices. Same for those countries listed, they couldn’t support an MLB team outside of a few special games.
Manfred will take his time with a new site for a MLB team,, I like a site in NC, Raleigh or Charlotte. They both have a good base for baseball with the Carolina league close bye. I think the A’s stay where they are in the same area and get a new stadium.
Charlotte is a great town. Nashville would be another good option. Same with San Antonio or Oklahoma City. So many better choices than Mexico City.
I think Mexico City would be really interesting- especially with how many latino players there are in the game. As a fan from the midwest, I really hope there isn’t another team in texas. 2 is plenty
Nashville would be great!
Dallas if Jerry Jones allows them in his Stadium.
Portland? Columbus? New Jersey? Memphis? Jacksonville? Sacramento? Las Vegas? Buffalo? Vancouver?
I doubt Dallas will get two teams
Dallas doesn’t even have one. Arlington does.
Baseball in Smaller Markets has to be Marketed Property , Both Miami and Tampa have had Cheap Ownership and Rotten Management.
George Steinbrenner before he died , Said that Mexico City would make Millions for Baseball and expanding it’s Market into Latin America.. Attendence will top Five Million easy with a Half way Decent Team in Mexico City.
Montreal needs a New Domed Stadium to Draw fans but it too would be Better than Tampa
That’s exactly why I think baseball in Mexico would be so cool.
Great read on all the topics presented. Good to hear the commissioner talk about important issues that would serve to benefit this great game going forward instead of simply banning shifts.
Still waiting for MLB and the MLBPA to address even more impacting topics like roster expansion, maximum and minimum salary caps, a better system for revenue sharing regarding both the teams and players, high tech improvements such as pre-programmed laser strike zones and perhaps a resolution once and for all concerning the DH. Future expansion in MLB could be a way to help facilitate some of these improvements while also fixing the playoff format which could do with a better alternative to the one and done wild card format.
I feel like the DH is always gonna be AL only. If you get rid of it completely, everyone in the AL is mad. If you make it league wide, the NL is mad. It’s probably just beat to leave it how it is and have the weirdness of two different sets of rules continue
You could be right.
MLB is the only professional sport that has a separate rule (DH) for each league. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Like the rule itself, that point could be argued either way.
Note: In the minors, Rookie and Single-A level leagues use the DH in all games. At the Double-A and Triple-A level, when both teams are National League affiliates, pitchers may bat. In the Pacific Coast League, pitchers only hit when both clubs are NL affiliates and both clubs agree to have their pitchers hit. The reason for the difference is that as players get closer to reaching the majors, teams prefer to have the rules mimic, as closely as possible, those of the major league teams for which the players may soon be playing.
My preference is to incorporate the DH as a uniform rule for MLB. I hate the notion of having separate rules, particularly when it involves regular season interleague play and the World Series. This is coming from a 61-year old baseball fan who has no league bias being a diehard fan of both the Cubs and White Sox since the early 1960’s, well before the DH even existed. I also believe the rule could be modified in a way that it would allow proficient hitting pitchers to bat regardless of which league they play in.
It seems Manfred has a bit of an imagination and wants what he thinks is best for the game. I just wish he would quit with the pace of play garbage and focus on everything else.
Sad to say but Mexico is too corrupt for an MLB expansion. Players and their families would get kidnapped all the time, it would be a disaster.
That’s Slander Man,
Mexico City is safer than Chicago and Houston other America Major Metro Area’s
Way wrong
Neh. it’s not slander, it’s just the tip of the iceberg of the reality in Mexico. Mexico is a terrible country to expand. This is coming from someone living in Mexico. Way too much corruption.
Do you know anything about corruption in Washington , apparently not !
I know a lot about your corruption of grammar.
Where are my grammar mistakes?
Pretty sure he’s talking about William.
Slander is spoken, libel is written. But an opinion on a web forum is neither.
Whatever happened with Wilson Ramos? Was he just released or did they have to pay his kidnappers?
It’s highly unlikely that the wage issue in the Minors will ever be sorted. The MLB and MLBPA have been negotiating away the rights of those players for years, even though they don’t represent them. They have no incentive to create a living wage or even care about it.
If the union expanded to include the minor league players than something might get done until then I see no changes in minor league wages.
MLBPA cares about getting the most money for MLB players… if they push anything that would significantly add to MiLB payroll, it’s all money teams won’t be spending on MLB players. They are NEVER going to be the ones advocating that team should spend money on anything other than current MLB players – except maybe for MiLB deals for late-career MLB players.
I think the base pay for minor leaguers could go up a bit, and then get an added rate based on factors like pro years, total 40-man time, and MLB service time, with a cap based on a portion of the MLB minimum. Something workable that wouldn’t jack up total costs too dramatically.
Yeah the only options they really have left are to unionize so that they can collectively bargain with the league, or to try and sue in an attempt to include themselves in the Fair Labor Standards Act (there is currently an exception in this Act for baseball, and sports in general).
Either way, it’s going to be tough. At this point, the can has been kicked so far down the road that any viable solutions they try to pursue are going to potentially make things ugly.
Thinking outside the country is Manford trying to be political and show what a great progressive thinker he is.
The Athletics need to get the hell out of that dumpster of a city Oakland is. And yes, California politics are screwing over the A’s.
Portland, Buffalo, Nashville and others would be better than any of those outside cities would be.
And the A’s need to get to Vegas. Even Pedro Martinez said on MLB tv, “why would anyone want to build a new stadium in Oakland!”
Manford is standing in the way of moving to San Jose (with the Giants).
a team in Bogota, or Caracas, Mexico City, Vancouver, Montreal, Santo Domingo, or Havana would be fun, but those are all impossible for one or another reason
Dude, don’t make a Blanket Statement about other Countries or it’s People , Gives some facts not Opinion that not based on fact !
Dude, William, u need to calm down. This guy didn’t say ANYTHING offensive.
Your constantly being offended by everything makes all your posts seem invalid. Pick your battles
Yuppi needs to be back in a baseball jersey…Let’s Go Expos!!!! Hey the past year pre season games drew packed houses every time. Make it an AL franchise and the crowds will come when Bos and NYY come to town
The Minor League players should create a union. With so much money in the game it is just a crime what these guys have to survive to chase their dream.
Fans also need a union. We should have a seat at the table. It’s already too expensive to attend games with any regularity. Owners and players are milking us dry. I have no problem with people making money, but the imbalance between us and them is crazy. Of course we are living in the American oligarchy and corporations aren’t going to do the right thing. Ever.
Comrade, if the minor league players don’t like it, they can always do something else.
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. Ticket prices are where they are because people pay those prices. Plain and simple. If minor leaguers don’t like they’re salaries, they are free to find work elsewhere.
A lot of people like to bring up the “If they don’t like it, they can find work elsewhere” point when talking about minor leaguers and their pay. The fact is, a lot of them are already doing that. Many of these guys are working multiple jobs in the offseason to make ends meet because they only get paid a few thousand dollars during the season.
I’m not saying a guy who’s like a 20th rounder needs to be making the major league minimum, but giving them a livable wage (for example, 30-40,000 per season) would go a long way towards their livelihood, especially with all the work they put in during the season.
A team with, say, 250 total minor leaguers across all levels could pay each guy about 30-40,000 per season and it would cost them less than $10 million. That’s like the going rate for a single 4th outfielder, or a journeyman reliever these days.
Don’t forget that most all minor league players received signing bonuses when they were drafted as domestic or international amateur FA’s. Generally speaking, the higher the pick, the greater the slot amount.
It’s the carrot of becoming a MLB player, as well as being paid for playing a game they love, that keeps them toiling in the minors for as long as they can. How many of us wish they had that same opportunity and would try to fulfill that dream for as long as possible regardless of the annual salary. Many players who never make it to the “Show” as players also wind up becoming professional managers, coaches and scouts in MLB and MiLB, as well as earning a livelihood in the college and high school ranks.
Still not a reason they can’t get paid above the poverty level
” but the imbalance between us and them is crazy.”
Yes it is, but the problem is us not making enough money. That’s why the few have so much because our wages have been going down for forty plus years and it’s all transferred up to fewer and fewer people who just put it in bank accounts because they have no idea how to invest all they have accumulated.
My wife and I went to a game at Olympic before Bud engineered the franchise swaps. Middle of the summer, hot and humid, they couldn’t put the roof up, and the place was empty. Montreal is a beautiful city and I’d think players would like living in the area, but without fan turnout you could be setting yourself up for another fall.
The players would be at risk. Kidnapping for ransom is an actual career choice in Mexico. Each Cartel would have their own suite at the stadium. And the police are as corrupt and dangerous as the gangsters.
Expansion is stupid. The talent is already watered down. They don’t need more teams. Relocate one or two of the Florida teams and leave it at that.
The Phillies are the third wealthiest franchise in MLB with owners who have nearly ten billion in cash assets and look at them now and for the last five years.
There’s your answer in regard to expansion.
Oh, and how about the farm systems of the Angels, Tigers and Giants? No PO boys they either.
Charlotte would be a great option. The Charlotte Knights (White Sox AAA affiliate) has had the highest attendance in MiLB since they moved the team Uptown. The city is ready for a MLB team and would be welcomed
The Charlotte Rays.
I don’t mind an expansion back into Montreal or a new city such as Charlotte.
Am not in favor of Mexico. Background noise there from the fans is very different than in the States and Canada. As someone with neurological issues, It’s physically uncomfortable to me to watch a ballgame under those circumstances – over-stimulation.
Here is a little realignment plan, including some expansion/ relocation options. This would give 8, 4 team divisions, some of which I think make a little more sense travel wise for some teams. (* Expansion Team, ** New Division, #Potential Relocation, ^ Change of League)
AL East- Boston, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Toronto
AL Central- Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago White Sox
AL West- Los Angeles Angels, Seattle, Oakland#, Las Vegas/Sacramento/Portland (Potential expansion sites and/or relocation sites for Oakland)
Al South**- Texas, Houston, Kansas City, Colorado^
NL East- Washington, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
NL Central- Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee
NL West- Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, Arizona
NL South**- Atlanta, Miami, Tampa Bay#, Nashville/Orlando/Charlotte (Potential expansion sites and/or relocation sites for Tampa Bay)
Or if Montreal is added as an expansion team it could look like this
AL East- Boston, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Montreal*
AL Central- Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit, Toronto
AL West- Los Angeles Angels, Seattle, Oakland#, and any one of these options: Colorado^, or (Las Vegas/Sacramento/Portland Potential expansion sites and/or relocation sites for Oakland)
Al South**- Texas, Kansas City, Chicago White Sox, and either Colorado^ or Houston
NL East- Washington, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
NL Central- Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee
NL West- Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, Arizona
NL South**- Atlanta, Miami, and any two of these options: Tampa Bay#^, Houston^ or Nashville/Orlando/Charlotte Potential expansion sites or relocation sites for Tampa Bay),
Or Montreal Option two:
AL East- Boston, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Toronto
AL Central- Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago White Sox
AL West- Los Angeles Angels, Seattle, Oakland#, and either of these options: Colorado or Expansion Team (Las Vegas/Sacramento/Portland Potential expansion sites and/or relocation sites for Oakland)
Al South**- Texas, Kansas City, Houston, and any one of these options: Colorado^, Tampa Bay# or Nashville/Orlando/Charlotte Potential expansion sites or relocation sites for Tampa Bay)
NL East- Washington, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Montreal*
NL Central- Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee
NL West- Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, Arizona
NL South**- Atlanta, Miami, Cincinnati, and any one of these options: Tampa Bay#^ or Nashville/Orlando/Charlotte Potential expansion sites or relocation sites for Tampa Bay)
To me the first set makes more sense, in the second and third set I know Chicago nor Cincinnati is not very “south” but i thought keeping traditional divisional foes (CHC- STL) made more sense.
The wild card round could be the 4 division winners seeded 1-4 by record host a 3 game series against the next 4 best records from any division seeded 5-8 by record. the following rounds could all be played as they currently are. The season ends on Sunday, Any tiebreaker games Monday, Wild Card round runs can begin Monday if possible or Tue- Thu, Divisional Round would start Fri or Sat. This puts divisional round games starting no more than 2 days later than previous years. Which in my opinion is really not a significant change.
I don’t know just some random thoughts and musings from me. I enjoy playing commissioner from time to time.
make one leagues south SouthEast one SouthWest AL EAST New York Boston Toronto Montreal 3 built in Rivals very nice NYY Bos, Tor Mon, Mon BOS
If they expand to 32 teams, I would go with 4 div. of 8 teams each. 12 teams make playoffs with 4 div. winners getting a bye. The 4 2d place teams and 4 wild card teams based on best records among 3rd or 4th place teams in each league play a 3 gm 1st rd. Regular season — 84 games against the div. with the last 42 gms every season for every team being 3 home and 3 away against each div. foe.
I live right outside Charlotte, I’ll happily take an MLB Team
Montreal needs a team. As some people noted, the 1994 strike made some people feel betrayed, but with a new team I beat MLB will be forgiven. I’ve been there and people are still selling old expos hats. And of course that team would need to be be NL for old rivalries. I think the logical options for another expansion team would be to look at the markets with other professional sports teams: Charlotte/Carolina, Nashville/Tennessee, OKC, or San Antonio. I don’t want to go into Mexico. Too many issues and I think it would be very difficult for that team to sign FAs because players likely wouldn’t want to play there (and then they would also have an advantage on Mexican and other Latin American born players who would eventually grow up rooting for them)
Add Portland and New Orleans to expansion candidates. It would probably be easiest I think to add 6 team and add a team to each division for playoffs purposes
Geographical is what is needed to be done but would Yankees and Mets say yes. Theirs enough Teams in California for a Division. Need a Southeast,Centraleast,Midwest ones to.
Let’s just pretend this thread is about the article it referred to. It is ridiculous how off-topic these get!!
My vote is for Charlotte, NC. I am sure there are many viable options they make sense in the path of travel, the number of fans to attend games, all the demographics and ability to build a baseball park in the specific amount of time they’d be given.