Declining payrolls still worry union
BRADENTON, Fla. — Yes, Mike Trout could soon sign the largest contract in the history of professional sports. Yes, Bryce Harper got $330 million in free agency, and Manny Machado $300 million. But in the eyes of the Major League Baseball Players Association, those outliers belie a trend of reduced spending that threatens the game.
“In an industry that’s growing, seeing upwards of two-thirds of the payrolls being lower than what they were last year is a concern,” union executive director Tony Clark said while visiting Pirates camp Tuesday.
The MLBPA remains concerned about a second consecutive free-agent market
that saw established players receive lower salaries than in the past, and star players — like closer Craig Kimbrel and former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel — unsigned a week and a half before opening day. The crux of the issue, Clark said, is that the industry does not always, as a whole, prioritize fielding the best team.
“The free-agent market functioning the way it’s functioned for the second year in a row suggests that it’s not an aberration, it’s more the norm, and we believe that is unacceptable, as well,” Clark said.
The Pirates’ payroll will drop about $15 million from last year, and they offset the $7.8 million they added in free-agent signings by trading Ivan Nova. Part of that decrease stemmed from earning less local revenue because the Pirates have lost about 1 million fans since 2015. Attendance has declined around baseball, as well, and MLB is trying to improve the on-field product by implementing rule changes to decrease dead time, but Clark said those measures go only so far.
“We believe the challenges that exist in our industry go well beyond a pitch clock or mound visits,” Clark said. “As a result, having an opportunity to talk about those more broadly is something that we’re interested in.”
Recently, the union and league had dialogue on a series of rule changes set to take effect this season and next. Those include a further reduction in mound visits and time between innings, an All-Star Game election day and the elimination of waiver trades. In 2020, the roster will expand by one player but shrink from 40 to 28 in September, and pitchers will be required to face three batters unless they finish the inning or get hurt. The union rejected the three-batter limit, meaning MLB will unilaterally impose it, but other issues are up for discussion.
“There are a number of things that are a part of the committee [a joint committee to consider other potential changes, also announced with the rule changes] that are tied to some of the considerations for 2020,” Clark said. “Such that there is going to be an ongoing dialogue, less an implementation, and more an ongoing dialogue.”
Clark said there had not been a hearing date set regarding the grievance the union filed against the Pirates and three other teams last February regarding an alleged improper use of revenue-sharing receipts; the collective bargaining agreement says: “The Panel Chair shall attempt to open the hearing within one year from the filing of the grievance.” Clark called the grievance “ongoing” without elaborating.
Revenue sharing exists to decrease the gap between large-market and smallmarket teams. Every team pays in a portion of its local revenue, and the smallermarket teams receive money. The Pirates’ share has decreased in recent years as attendance, and thus local revenue, increased, but that could reverse course now after the drop in attendance.
The collective bargaining agreement grants the union broad oversight of revenuesharing funds, which must be used to improve the onfield product but not necessarily on major league payroll: The plan administrator must provide upon request “any relevant information necessary to the Association’s performance of its functions under this Article as collective bargaining representative.” By Aug. 15, teams must provide a detailed breakdown of how they will spend their revenue-sharing money, and the union can request an audit or conduct one itself.
The Pirates and MLB have called the union’s grievance baseless.