Baseball Luxury Tax?

Question

Do you feel it is continually fair that New York and Boston (amongst others) have to pay a luxury tax to teams, such as Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, who have shown very little effort to putting a winning product on the field?

Answer 1

It is fair, but they also need to institute a minimum team salary, so the owners of the small market teams are not just pocketing the money when it is supposed to even the playing field (thus producing a better product)

Answer 2

As long as those teams continue to spend more on a single player than some teams spend on their entire roster, yes. If a team has the means to spend almost $200 million dollars on their roster, and continually outbids those other teams for free agents, then they should be forced to give some of those smaller market teams some money to allow them to compete. Let's face it, if NY and Boston and the Angels (If I'm not mistaken, the only teams that have ever had to pay Luxury Tax) want to use their location to their advantage, since they make a lot more money than the smaller market teams like the Royals and the Devil Rays. Why should they be allowed to corner the market on free agents?

The point of the Luxury Tax is to punish teams for spending more money than other teams take in, and making it difficult for small market teams to compete. Every sport has to deal with this money imbalance, and Baseball simply hasn't been able to work a salary cap into their CBA, and probably never will.

Answer 3

Since when did MLB become a socialistic enterprise ? If " small market teams " can't compete with the big market teams maybe they shouldn't be in the game ? Or maybe the "small market team" can raise their seat price to those that Yankee and Red Sox fans pay in order to generate more revenue. The upper deck seat that goes for $ 17.00 in Kansas City , goes for $ 65.00 in Yankee Stadium. Does anyone think that the loyal and worthy fans of Kansas City would go for a 383% increase in ticket prices in order to help field a better team ? I don't.
I think the time has come for MLB to contract.
The overall health of game itself would benefit greatly if there were 6 fewer teams playing . . Because of tradition and a caring devoted fan base I think that the Royals , Brewers and Pirates should remain in the game. If the Marlins, D-Rays, Rangers, D-Bax, Nationals, or Rockies franchises died ,few would mourn their passing.

Answer 4

A luxury tax is just a lousy attempt at a salary cap that's been imposed more by the players' union than my the owners.

If baseball really wants to become competitive and interesting again, it needs to impose a system that includes increased revenue sharing and a salary cap - which includes a salary "floor" at 50% of the top payroll that prevents teams - like, say, the Royals - from being cheap.

Answer 5

I think a salary cap would be much more fair than a luxury tax. This will make it easier for small market teams to be more competitive because you won't be able to buy a team like the Yankees and Red Sox do.

Answer 6

Why should the little teams bother. They try to build there minor league systems only to have teams like the Yankees and Boston steal there players for rediculous amounts of money. A salary cap is the answer but the Yankees wont hear of it, because they would rather steal talant from other teams then play on a level field. GO TRIBE !!!

Answer 7

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