While the lockout rages on, so, too, does front office churn. Here’s the latest from front offices around the game…
- Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg is one of three finalists to be then next GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, writes The Athletic’s Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus. Greenberg’s candidacy is definitely a bit of a surprise, and he’s not the odds-on frontrunner of the final three. The once-proud Blackhawks are staring down another season outside the playoff field, and with the championship stalwarts of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in their age-33 seasons, they’re eager to get the franchise back on track. With Captain Serious largely out of action because of injuries, Kane is only only palpable link to Chicago’s Stanley Cup winners in 2010, 2013, and 2015. The closest baseball corollary to these Blackhawks might be the pre-2020 Giants, and the Hawks would love a similarly quick turnaround. If they miss the playoffs this season, as expected, it will be the fifth time in the last six years that Chicago sits out postseason play. Greenberg has no formal experience in hockey, but he wouldn’t be the first executive to switch playing fields. Paul DePodesta is the hallmark example, having jumped from baseball to the NFL to run the Browns. To see how this saga ends, stay plugged into the latest Blackhawks news over at Pro Hockey Rumors.
- The Giants have hired Josh Herzenberg as the Assistant Director of Player Development, per Herzenberg himself on Twitter. Herzenberg has spent the past two years working with the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization. He started in the KBO as a pitching coordinator, but rose to the level of Director of Research and Development and International Scouting. Prior to his time overseas, Herzenberg spent time in the scouting departments of both the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. Congrats to Herzenberg on his new position in San Francisco.
Great article, TC- thanks. BREAK THE MLBPA UNION!
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Ew gross, minor leaguers don’t make minimum wage yet are supposed to have Olympian-level diets. There’s a reason obesity and poverty coincide, McDoubles are cheaper than salads.
Even at minimum wage, what minimum wage job fires you if you’re a little out of shape?
When owners have no problem paying ONE guy $40m/year, they shouldn’t lobby Congress to avoid having to pay $4m evenly to 80 guys($50k).
But nope, and that’s why the best place to get an autograph from your favorite underrated minor-leaguer is at your nearest Wal-Mart/Safeway/Costco, not a ballpark.
20 years ago, guys turning 33 were entering their “power years”, and could get a 5+year deal. That’s why they didn’t have a problem with 1yr rookie ball, 1yr Low-A, 1yr High-A, 1yr Double-A, 1yr Triple-A then 3yrs of minor league options at minor league money before you get to negotiate arbitration, but you’ll still likely earn far less than market value, which you’d have to wait another 3yrs for. Now, if you’ve been paying attention, an 18yo going through that wouldn’t be allowed to negotiate his own contract until he’s 29 years old, because 29yo’s get signed.
But what happens if you get injured one of those years, or there’s a pandemic, or a lockout? That’s how you get guys that are 27yo rookies, who won’t be able to negotiate a contract until they’re 33yo so instead of paying them what they’re worth, why not take advantage of the system in place and replace him with a shot in the dark at 10, maybe 15 minor leaguers? There were plenty of Tyler Austin’s, Michael Reed’s, Justin Maxwell’s, Mac Williamson’s, and Kelby Tomlinson’s before a Mike Yastrzemski comes along.
That is why things need to change. Older guys that were promoted to continue steroid use while baseball ignored it as it saved the brand in the mid-late 90’s felt safe in the deals to players in their mid-30’s because teams would sign guys in their mid-30’s but as the sport has got ‘cleaner’, athletes start their physical decline earlier and usually don’t have MVP-caliber seasons after 33 or so.
Baseball has changed the way it operates in order to make more money, so now the contracts negotiated from a bygone era need to change as well, THAT’S WHY COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS HAVE A TIMELINE. Their SOLE PURPOSE is to change over time as needs change.
Baseball needs baseball players to make money.
Just as governments need workers for their economy.
Union busting here would just open the door in this micro-chasm that is sports economics to other industries doing the same thing. Unions are good.
Read some books my guy, they’re not going to hurt you.
100% agreed. Thank you for identifying the larger issue with labor unions. Capital is so out-of-whack at this stage that billionaires believe they hold all the cards, and that goes for markets beyond baseball. Unions aren’t perfect, but they provide workers the means to negotiate better wages, working conditions, etc through strikes and collective bargaining. Many advances in working conditions arose out of unions fighting landlords, banks, and investment firms back.
The baseball lockout may be the icing on the cake for this whole “Great Resignation” spin, because workers, whether they’re making baseball player dollars or earning minimum wage, have discovered during a global pandemic that not only are they truly on their own, but there are too many around them trying to take advantage of a bad situation, particularly those that already had capital prior.
You sure do like your comma.
We need to all stick together to fight the Comma-nism heading our way,,,,,,,,,,,,
Stop the Commas!
Well, if Greenberg does get the Hawks job, it wouldn’t be the first time they looked to the Cubs to fill an important role. Former Cubs marketing guy John McDonough became the Hawks president prior to their run of Stanley Cups.
And we all now know how well that turned out. Yikes. 1 800-rentatyrant