Salary cap in baseball?

[SC-Jared]

Hey guys,

My name is Jared Spinelli, new addition to the SC team. Just thought I'd get involved in some conversations....

Does anybody agree with me that baseball should have a salary cap, much like football does, and other sports as well. What this would accomplish is the leveling of competition Selig wants. Instead of that plan I saw Selig bring up, where the five worst teams pick players from the highest, you can now prevent teams like the Yankees, Braves, and Dodgers from firehosing the free agency pool (taking any talent possible, even if it's to block another team- like with Canseco last year). Although a salary cap wouldn't win much of the league's approval, because of those high-spending teams, it would improve baseball as a whole, and make things more competitive. Being a Red Sox fan, I'm all for doing whatever it will take to tame those damn Yankees (although the Sox are also big spenders). :)
Anyone agree/disagree?

Jared

[iFroggy]

I believe baseball should have something, and if a cap, then definitely a salary minimum. So teams will have to spend a certain level and can't just be cheap and complain about teams that do spend.

And Welcome JSpin13 :)

[Lauri24]

I agree that something needs to be done, but with the ARod deal, there's no chance that things are going to be settled in an amicable(sp?) way. The players' Union isn't going to agree to any form of a cap.

Revenue sharing was a good idea in concept, but the teams that were getting the extra cash, ie:Kansas City, weren't spending the money on players.

I like the idea of a minimum salary, but a team like the Twins need a new ballpark, or they're never going to get the fans in there. Minneapolis is one of the harshest winter cities in the country, so on a warm sunny day in July, the last place that people want to be in indoors!

[H. Tiemann Jr.]

Hey Jared, Welcome aboard!!

Yeah something definetely has to be done with MLB. I mean it's the same three or four teams each year!!

Believe it or not, I'm a die hard Phillies fan. (yes, there are some of those left :)) And they will NEVER, EVER be able to compete with any of these teams. It's really a shame and it's going to kill MLB.

[NickHammy]

if there is no salary cap, then the yanks will win the series until the end of the decade....i won't live to see them win again

[Wedge231]

A cap is definately needed. A minimum spending thing is also good. This would increase the competition and make the teams somewhat equal.

[oldcrow0]

What can i say there wont be one till , well they have another lockout by the owners and by god its going to happen, but i really hope it dont!! Thats my take!!:)

[Wedge231]

Hi. Welcome to Sports Central.

[DBR96]

I am a die-hard Pirates fan. Believe it or not, there are still plenty of us, but most of us have to remain silent so as to not get laughed at by Braves fans or any of the other teams that can buy their championships year-in and year-out. I am VERY MUCH looking forward to the opening of PNC Park for several reasons:

- Three Rivers Stadium (imploded yesterday) was a decent football stadium, but a lousy baseball stadium

- The farthest seat from the field is only 88 feet away

- The ballpark is positioned so that you can see the Allegheny River (which a 454-foot homerun can reach), an adjacent bridge crossing the river, and the spectacular skyline of Pittsburgh (that no one knows exists)

However...I know that our new ballpark, charming and fan-friendly as it may be, will only prove to be a short-term solution for my team if a salary cap is not implemented. Our payroll has finally crossed the $50 million mark, which is finally pulling us out of the bottom five...but still, how can that compare to the Yankees, Braves, Mets, Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox...? And the Braves can artifically inflate their market size by showing their games on either of the Turner networks, which means games out of Atlanta can be seen by anyone who has basic cable TV. On the other hand, my Pirates are at a disadvantage because:

- We have Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Toronto chipping away at our television territory

- Cleveland can draw viewers from Akron OH, Canton OH, Youngstown OH, Mansfield OH, Sandusky OH and even Columbus OH

- Cincinnati can draw viewers from Dayton OH, Hamilton OH, Springfield OH, Richmond IN, Lexington KY, Louisville KY and even Indianapolis IN

- Baltimore can draw viewers from Metro Washington D.C., Frederick MD, Hagerstown MD and even Richmond VA

- Philadelphia can draw viewers from Harrisburg PA, York PA, Lancaster PA, Reading PA, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PA, Allentown PA, Wilmington DE and South NJ

- New York can draw viewers from Long Island, North NJ, Syracuse NY, Albany NY and West CT...and from anyone who has WWOR on expanded basic cable

- Toronto can draw viewers from anywhere in South ON as well as Buffalo NY and Rochester NY.

- Pittsburgh can draw from North WV and from Erie PA...and little else. (And even Erie can be influenced by Cleveland's market.)

- The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area is smaller in population than all but Cincinnati, but even that advantage is more than negated by Cincinnati's market presence in Kentucky's two largest cities, as well as large cities in Ohio and Indiana.

I would like to see TV revenue sharing because of this, but if nothing else, a salary cap is a must. As for the Players Union...they can go straight to Hell if you ask me. I think the most ardent Players Union supporters should somehow be ousted from baseball altogether. And, expanding on that idea, maybe what Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Oakland, Minnesota, Seattle, San Diego, St. Louis, and even Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit can do is slap New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Cleveland, Texas and Boston with an anti-trust lawsuit and threaten to take them under if they don't comply. I really don't know how six teams ended up waving a cash-filled iron fist over the remaining 24, but I tell you, it sucks. I am excited as anything about PNC Park...but if the same six teams keep bullying the remaining 24 the way they have, then PNC Park will only be a short-term solution, and that is sad.