There's about 1200 people in the world that can fill the spots in the MLB. Anyone can work an office job.

I was gonna ask if you were really this ****ing stupid, but I already know the answer.

True dat.

Ted Williams or Juan Soto.

Damn I love watching that guy hit.

And I spoke to that as a by-product of the floor as well. It would alleviate some of the service time manipulation and get young players paid sooner because teams would use the floor to extend their own guys more often than they'd dip into an inflate FA pool.

It solves SO many problems.

And the players just won't see the forest for the trees.

This is a player issue. They're getting in their own way.

For the 2021 year, the MLB base salary was $570,000, the NFL was $660,000 and the NBA was $925,000.

These are salaries are prorated. So if a player gets to the major league level, they don't make $570,000. They make that salary divided by the amount of days they are at the MLB level.

Just two years ago, 398 MLB players out of 1267 in the MLBPA earned at least $1Million. That's 31%. The players representing the player's union in negotiations are all living on very healthy contracts. They aren't negotiation their own contracts though, they are negotiating more topics than most of us have clue about.

The narrative that all players are greedy scum bags isn't true. They are physically gifted far more than you and I, and bring their owners millions of dollars with their talents.

Few people, if anybody at all, are arguing against the idea of players near the bottom of the scales getting paid more or sooner.

The dispute is whether or not anything the MLBPA is pushing for or digging their heels in on would have a meaningful impact on that.

These middle relievers that spend their early/mid 20s working through the ranks, get called up at 26 and then ride the AAA shuttle up and down through their 3 options seasons so they accumulate maybe a year total on a major league roster - boy that's tough. Those guys will be 29 years old, still 5 year removed from being MLB free agents and with the way bullpens are managed, they've probably burned hot and bright and will be shot by the time they're 2nd year arb eligible at 32 yrs old.

Granted, they'll have made a couple million by then so it's not nothing, but it does seem like something can/should be done to help later arriving prospects who teams are going to ride until they cost real money and then replace.

But that's just not where the majority of the effort seems to be going right now.

In what ways do you feel the MLBPA should be pushing more on that topic? I'm not using a sarcastic voice when I ask this, I'm genuinely curious of your thoughts.

Would the increased minimum salary proposal address it? Or the bonus pool for pre-arb players address it? And weren't both areas something the union was working to address?

I think the players offering to raise the pre-arb bonus pool from $10 million to $100 million (down from $105 million) isn't any sort of 'offer' at all. That's an invitation to go **** yourself. Get serious about that conversation.

And at last check, the owners had accepted the minimum salary proposal.

Well they aren't same for one but you are too ****ing stupid to realize that. You are just labor. You are not the cost of goods and labor combined like baseball players are.

Labor costs in normal business is 25%
Cost of Goods in normal business is about 30%.

Ballplayers essentially should equal 55% of the revenue expenses but keep being a jackass.

Only 1,200 people in the world can play baseball? Every player in AAA can fill a spot and would for a shit ton less. I am only pointing out the fact that players are greedy ****s and are always trying to get more more more money. There is no gun to their head to play. They don't like the deal then quit. Just like NFL players crying about their battered up bodies. You can quit, you don't have to play.

If you think the current players are not replaceable then your wrong. Everyone is replaceable in any job. Product may not be great for a few years but they all can be replaced.

Ever watch college baseball? I have season tickets to Mizzou.

And let me tell you, you might as well be watching little league. The gap between excellent college teams and bad MLB teams is absolutely immense.

No, these guys are nothing resembling replaceable if you expect the sport to continue. The quality of play would be disastrous.

Only an idiot defends the owners and the billions that they’re making each year.

And minor league baseball is a step above that and it's not that good. That's why they have to market them as events with the silly promos and food. The product is bad.

I love college baseball because you can literally sit at the fence and talk to the guys as they're in the on-deck circle. It's amazingly family friendly. And really, high level college ball (SEC caliber play) is probably akin to A+ or maybe some pretty shitty AA teams. It's a lot of fun.

And as part of that you get to sit behind home plate and watch this stuff at field level.

And I have played a lot of ball in my time but let me tell you, TV makes baseball look SIGNIFICANTLY easier than it is. You get yourself down at field level and watch it, suddenly you realize just how hard the game is and the insane amount of skill it requires to make it look as easy at it is.

Honestly, I don't feel like any of us can truly put ourselves in the shoes of these guys. I'm good at my job but I ain't MLB baseball player good at my job. These guys are just crazy good.

Regardless of what any agents or MLBPA mouthpieces may say about anything, the owners' strategy with regard to these negotiations has been obvious from day 1. Delay, delay, delay. They never had any intention of starting the season on time and there's plenty of evidence to indicate that much.

Only for a little while. I'll live with it if it results in a level playing field across MLB. Shut it down for 5 years if that's what it takes.