does baseball need a salary cap?

Question

The Yankees are in the playoffs every year and teams like tampa, kansas city, and pittsburgh lose every year. In football every team has made the playoffs atleast once since '99. As an orioles fan I have lost intersest in baseball because they suck every year/

Answer 1

Most definately!!! and it should be retroactive!!!

Answer 2

No, on multiple reason. Number one being that the Players Union being the strongest in the four major sports would go for it. Also I don't think that it would solve the problem. Baseball needs a more comprehensive Revenue Sharing policy. But also set a minimum payroll for its teams. There should be no way that the Royals should be getting 65 million dollars from revnue sharing alone and having a total payroll of just over 47 million dollars. And their are 12 players in the Majors making more than the Marlins combined. Even with a salary cap would'nt mean equality in the Majors. Somebody will find a way to circumvent it. Remember Jerry Jones signing Dieon Sanders at the minimum and giving him a 13 million dollar bonus, Their is a reason why the Yankees go to the playoffs every year. Stienbrener is willing to spend money on the team and spend it wisely. Remember it wasn't the Yankees forking over 20 million dollars a year for Arod and 15 million a year for Chan Ho Park. I'm looking at you Texas.

If baseball want more balance competition, here is a list that they could do.

(1)Stop building these miniture parks. I like the fact that you can be closer to the action but that wall in Houston is ridicoulus and against the rules too. It may bring the fans to the park at first but when you are having problem holding a huge lead in the late ininings because a pop up in any other park,means a homerun in yours, Makes it that much harder to win. Plus it will cost more since you need a rotation full of pitchers who has great stuff to win. Plus with more players hitting more home runs means that you'll eventually have to pay them more as well
(2)Stop having salary arbitration. If an Average player X is making 5 million dollars Even though he is just a bench player. than the Superstar would want more money.
(2b)Stop idiots GM's from making stupid decisions. Couple years ago Boston signed a pretty good reliver from the Yankees Mendoza for $9 million dollars. He did decently for the Sox but nowhere near the amount that he signed for. Plus that only rasied the price for all the other pitchers out there.

(3) But more importantly baseball needs to revamp its revnue sharing system and make teams accountable that they are putting money towards their major league product wheater that be players or scouts to get young players who can play.

Answer 3

Congress would have to throw out the anti-trust exemption before a salary cap could be instituted.

The NFL (with both a salary cap and revenue sharing) has had other competing leagues (USFL, XFL) which have folded. In the NFL, salary is not guaranteed - only the signing bonus. Baseball has no such provision. Besides, I'm tired of seeing utility infielders make $10 Million per year - I think Baseball is merely transferring wealth out of the US and into the Latin American countries.

In the O's case - Angelos is simply going to milk MASN and allow the team to languish. Some say he will be a genius if he wins but I think Angelos is in it for himself. I almost dared him to win a World Series before he's 80. He has allowed 9 straight 4th place finishes which is because he dumped all the scouts and marketing forces. The Marlins churn and burn their way into World Series championships - is that a proper way to run a team?

Answer 4

there's a reason that the NFL is one of the most financially stable sports leagues in the world. and it's because of their salary cap. they currently have a cap of $116 Million for 53 roster spots. baseball only has 25 roster spots (not counting the september call-ups that bring it to 40). there's absolutely no reason that we can't set a cap at around $100 Million for 25 roster spots. In the NFL, each and every team has a shot to be great from year to year (except the Lions). this will NEVER happen in baseball until they implement a salary cap. and if the players union doesn't agree with hit. Screw them. I can tolerate another player strike if it means we get a salary cap at the end of it. unfortunately the current collective bargaining agreement doesn't expire until 2011 or 2012 (i think.... chipmaker, correct me if i'm wrong here ... LOL). so perhaps the new bargaining agreement will institute a good salary cap. if they don't, it will be one of baseball's biggest blunders. bigger than the steroid era.

Answer 5

It is too late for MLB to have a salary cap.They are way past the point of being able to install one that would be fair to all teams.The Yankees are shelling out 200M+ and the Marlins payroll is only 15M.What would the cap be?Even if you split the difference,that would still be over 100M per team.The small market teams would still not be able to ante up.Even at 50-60M,there would still be some teams that could not afford the price.Even revenue sharing is not the answer.They have that now and there are still teams that are losing money and cannot afford to compete.No,baseball is ruined forever and there is no answer.Yes,every once in a while,a team like the Marlins will somehow win.But even then,they lose money and have to sell of their players.I miss the old days before FA.

Answer 6

That's the biggest misconception people have about sports. The big market teams thrive and the small market teams struggle. But answer me this: Over the past five seasons, for all the money Mr. Steinbrenner has shelled out on the likes of Rodriguez, Mussina, Johnson, Giambi, etc., how many titles do the Yanks have to show for it? ZERO. The Oakland Athletics are small market and you probably couldn't name their starting lineup, yet they are playoff-bound with the AL West pennant as good as theirs. So to answer your question, I don't think a salary cap in baseball would be a cure all, because there's nothing to be cured. Look at the Athletics, Tigers, Twins, Padres, Phillies, so on and so on. Money doesn't make you a winner. It's how you use who you have and cultivate who's in your farm system. Let Steinbrenner spend until he has a stroke. It doesn't ensure a Yankees title, and hasn't in five years.

Answer 7

No, it doesn't need a salary cap. What it DOES need, however, is revenue sharing for television rights. Right now, teams in large market areas....the Yankees, for example....get two hundred million for their TV rights. While a small market team..the Royals, for example...might get ten million. That's where the enormous discrepancies come in.
Some might argue that...well, the Yankees can't help it if they have a larger population base, and more people want to watch them than the Royals. But without the Royals...and the Twins, and the Orioles, and the other small market teams coming in to play them....the Yankees have NOTHING to sell.
Include media payouts in the current revenue sharing (of attendance money) and every team is on the same level, more or less.

Answer 8

I think there should be a salary cap in all professional sports. I understand that Americans love sports but after all they are childrens games. If you cap salary then the ticket prices would be cheaper therefor, a lot more people could attend.

Answer 9

Most def. not...the reason why, the Florida Marlins have won the WS twice within the last 8-9 years and they have an extremely low salary...its about getting the right ppl into the organization at the top and to develop a farm league, draft well and develop players well...dont blame it on salary...

The Orioles are just unfortunate to play in a division with the Yanks and Sox...tough luck...

Answer 10

Yes, they do need a salary cap.

But I am afraid that will never happen, as the players union is too strong and will not allow that.

Answer 11

It needs a salary cap and revenue sharing.