This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss... Tim's recent post looking at MLB's economics and issues of parity (1:20) The possibility of a salary cap coming into existence at some point in the future (5:25) Comparing the salary cap path to alterations to the current revenue sharing system (8:40) The public relations battle with fans knowing all about players and their salaries but not necessarily knowing so much about the owners and their finances (17:35)
Major League Baseball owners are "raging" in the wake of Kyle Tucker's free agency agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and it is now "a 100 percent certainty" that the owners will push for a salary cap, one person briefed on ownership conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.
FC Bayern played an outstanding first half of the Bundesliga season, they've also been once again very successful internationally, and are thus making yet another enormous contribution to the positive perception of the quality of German football. Regarding the international marketing of the league, we know from our international partners that an exciting title race, top stars with global appeal, strong club brands, and international success for clubs and the national team are the key success factors.
If I was Miami Dolphins new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan or new coach Jeff Hafley, I wouldn't sign Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis to a multi-year free agent contract to be Miami's starter. We'll find out in a matter of weeks what Sullivan, the former Green Bay vice president of player personnel, and Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator, think of the athletic, 26-year-old Willis, who is eligible to become a free agent.
When you have momentum like we have that you've worked as hard as we have to get, you know that is a force that puts people in a frame of mind that they should understand they need to make an agreement, OK? Despite that momentum, we have a couple of issues that we hear about from our fans all the time: blackouts and the perception that some teams are not competitive. We got to address those issues. How we figure out the way to address those issues is the challenge of the bargaining process, and jumping to the idea that it's going to be salary cap, no salary cap is a premature thing to do. To maintain the momentum we all understand we have, I think we need to address those two issues and I think we'll figure out a way to do it.
The big news this week is the Dodgers winning the Kyle Tucker and the Mets grabbing Bo Bichette. It's some big money. Kyle Tucker is getting that partially deferred 60MM AAV and Bo Bichette is getting an player option protected 43MM AAV. I don't begrudge them. They're both at the top of a very high profile profession where the top get the tippy-top cash. It might be getting hard to see anything but the bucks though.
"The urgency of that matters to me because we've got free agents and I don't want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head," Bisciotti said. "And I made that clear to Lamar and I think he was very appreciative of my stance and hopefully willing to work with Eric [DeCosta, Ravens general manager] and not get this thing dragged out into April like the last time. It's very hard for him to build a roster when that thing is not settled."
McMann has shown this season that he can drive the play and generate offence. He has scored timely goals throughout the season and been a physical force within the top six. That versatility has made him a perfect fit under Craig Berube, but it has also significantly raised his market value. For a team already tight against the cap, McMann may have played himself into a price range the Leafs simply can't afford.
If the Flames want to be buyers and try to go all-in on a playoff push, they do have the means to try and make it work. According to PuckPedia, the Calgary Flames are currently sitting on nearly $10 million in cap space, making a move for a veteran piece extremely plausible. In this case, teams like the Winnipeg Jets could be potential trade targets.
"They love it. They've dedicated their lives to it, and they recognize the window for them to play it is remarkably small. So they want the game to be the best version of itself. "When you represent that as a part of the committee, even if you have less votes, and it's either considered ... it tells players that their value, their voice, isn't being valued.
In late July, before a game against the Boston Red Sox, Bryce Harper sat slumped in a chair in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse, a baseball bat in hand. Philadelphia was the latest stop on Rob Manfred's leaguewide speaking tour; ahead of a CBA negotiation that virtually everyone in baseball expects to involve a 2027 work stoppage, the MLB commissioner spent the summer visiting all 30 teams, trying to get players on board with his plans to restructure the league's economics. When the subject of a salary cap came up late in the meeting, Harper rose from his seat. He walked closer to Manfred until their noses almost touched, and told the commissioner that if Manfred wanted to talk salary cap, he could "get the fuck out of our clubhouse."