At the time of writing, there were actual negotiations going on between MLB owners and players ahead of another fake deadline the owners set up that they can't actually enforce. By the time you read this, there could be hope. Another dive into the dirt. Be warned.
I'm tired of going back and forth with the details of one side's offer versus another's, and reading tea leaves and all the other bullshit that comes with it. Most of that should be left for another day.
The owners insisted on adding a third tier to their luxury tax thresholds. They wanted to add a third for teams that go over $60 million. No owner is going to go that far over the threshold. We haven't seen that yet. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox are the most eligible to go over the luxury tax for most of the time. If not them, who?
Steve Cohen is the new owner of the New York Mets. The one who likes to talk about how he will run the Mets like they should be run, as a fan who just happens to have one of the world's largest checkbooks. He might air out his players on his own, but at least he cares. Being a Mets fan involves a lot of bending over backwards.
The owners want to add this third level of tax, just in case Cohen does go even more loopy after signing Max Scherzer to a three-year $130M deal. Which is the same as it gets. Even though fewer and fewer of them want to spend the money, the luxury tax is still a cudgel to keep owners in line. The idea was that the other teams would get money from a team going all guns blazing into the free agency market. All the cheapskates benefit if Cohen goes to Brewster.
This new level of fees for Cohen is not enough. The owners are still pushing for a 14-team playoff system with no balance or weight for teams that win their division. They told Cohen that they were going to make it so it was more likely that the team would crash and burn at the first hurdle. You might start to wonder why you bothered in the first place, which is exactly what this group of jackals wants.
The argument is that if Cohen were to go nuclear, the Braves and Nats would feel like they have to compete in a normal world. We'll make up the participation trophy playoff system because it's not fair. There aren't any small markets or big markets anymore. Sure, some teams have better local TV deals, but the main income for teams is their national TV deals, and everyone is in on gambling. A billionaire owns every team. Gene Autry is no longer around. Every one of them can afford to pay their players. They don't want to. If they can't afford it, there will be another billionaire who will take that team off their hands and steal their real estate.
Maybe the MLBPA knows about the divisions within ownership. They are trying to corral a group of one before he starts. They should be tearing at the cracks to get what they want.
Cohen will keep quiet forever.
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