Baseball stoppage 2022?

[packs]

I would be hoping that decreasing expenses would mean more purchasing power for the fans. Every year there are stories about how much it costs to see a game and I can’t help but think part of that has to do with inflated salaries.

Players feeling like free agency is a risky proposition would lend to increased competition as teams remain strong with a core group of players that stay together for more than 3 or 4 seasons. Maybe that’s not on the forefront of your mind if you like a team with purchasing power but it would be if you love, say, the A’s.

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by packs

I would be hoping that decreasing expenses would mean more purchasing power for the fans. Yankee Stadium is an insanely expensive place but you’re paying for an insanely expensive team. Every year there are stories about how much it costs to see a game and I can’t help but think part of that has to do with Jacoby Ellsbury making 20 plus while playing worse than I do when he can even get on the field.

Players feeling like free agency is a risky proposition would lend to increased competition as teams remain strong with a core group of players that stay together for more than 3 or 4 seasons.

I remember reading in recent years how players salaries and ticket/concession prices basically have no relationship. A quick google search shows some stories going back 15 years about how they're not related - even if it seems like they may be when watching Ellsbury from the stands.

It seems the current system has already created an environment where free agency is a risky proposition, but the result seems to be that there are extreme haves and have-nots - a bunch of teams that are tanking, not trying to win and barely participating in free agency, and another group of really great teams, who are playing hard ball as they know they don't have competition for players (a la JD Martinez one year ago, and perhaps Harper/Machado/Kimbrel this year).

[packs]

Have and have nots is a good point, and I definitely agree there are teams who don’t care if they win whether players are less expensive or not.