A Specter of No Baseball1 haunts Major League Baseball. Even as Spring Training starts and the World Baseball Classic is played, the issues of a cap and a floor still swirl. The same goes for RSN (Regional Sports Network) deals, which have dried up and are relied on by ownership groups as a revenue source. Fanduel Sports Network is dead. Long live Fanduel Sports Network.
No Baseball would mean a fundamental reshaping of the sport itself. Yes, commissioner Rob Manfred has instituted a ghost runner (runner on second) to speed up games as well as a pitch clock, but those are more superficial and related to the game itself. A cap and floor would fundamentally alter how teams, namely upper management, do business.
Baseball has never had a cap and/or a floor in its history, but it will be dragged into it kicking and screaming. Two teams played without a stadium—one (the Rays) because of a natural disaster, and the other (the Oakland As) because of penny-pinching ownership, all but flipping the bird at Oakland in the hopes of getting that sweet sportsbetting money in Vegas. The hope is that a floor will stop the latter behavior. The hope with a cap is to give a limit to player salaries, and it should be no surprise to anyone that the players hate it. I will be tracking the gathering storm clouds throughout the baseball season, but it is safe to say that this may be the last full season of baseball for a long time. Owners also have a $2 billion war chest, and the MLB Players Association is reeling from a scandal involving Tony Clark, who is the union director. It’s safe to say that the negotiations, as well as a potential strike, will be nasty.
1 This is also the name of my fantasy baseball team.