Let’s say you were granted the ability to create an offensive baseball player to join your team in 2015.
Starting totally from scratch.
Anything you want – POOF – gets tossed in the mix. No questions asked. Nothing is off the table.
https://twitter.com/WrigleyBlog/status/582901981225816064
Considering exactly 10 players hit more than 30 home runs during the 2014 season while 30 accomplished the same benchmark in 2004, you’d probably want some pop in that bat, right?
Done.
This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both. (End)
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) March 30, 2015
I’d imagine, though, you’re aware that power is only good if it comes from consistent hitting. So you’d need to make sure this SlugBot was capable of a high OBP and batting average.
Done.
Source: #Cubs have informed Phil Coke that he has made team. He had opted out Friday night because they had not put him on roster.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 30, 2015
Good looks? Charm? A guy that people want to date… but also take home to mom? This is 2015, and your broadcast rights might be up for negotiation. Doesn’t hurt to have your best player be charming and media savvy.
Done.
I just want someone to love me the way my dad loves the Cubs, always a fan even when I suck.
— Carol 🚣🏻 (@CariRadshaw) March 28, 2015
+++++
I’m not here to bash the Cubs.
Promise, I’m not.
As a Cardinals fan, their decision to send prospect Kris Bryant to AAA is a welcome one. During spring training he hit .425 with 9 HRs, 15 RBIs in 40 ABs. If they want to not play him opening week… umm, OK?
Whats the catch?
But let’s back up…
Who is Kris Bryant?
If you’re not a Cubs fan or live in Chicago you might not be familiar.
- Top MLB prospect
- Hit 43 HRs between AA and AAA last year
- Comparable to Mike Trout (little bit worse defender)
- Affable, good looking guy
At the beginning of spring training, the Cubs leadership said that Bryant would have a shot to make the team, or in their words have camp “mean something”. He then went out and had one of the best offensive spring trainings in recent memory.
No joke – the Wall Street Journal called him ‘The Babe Ruth of Spring Training‘. I swear that’s the real Wall Street Journal, not a parody site.
So the Cubs pivoted and said Bryant needed more seasoning on his defense (he’s a 3B for now, but could play LF or RF).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rav9ijyyZk
OOOOOOORRRRRRRRRR…
The Cubs are sending Bryant to AAA because, according to ESPN:
If Bryant spends 12 or more days in the minor leagues, Chicago would delay the slugging third baseman from becoming eligible for free agency by one year, until after the 2021 season, according to baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.
Yeah. That’s probably it.
The reaction to this decision has been remarkably split amongst Cubs fans.
Side 1: So we have Mike Trout Junior ready to go, but we don’t want to play him for at least 2 weeks so we can get control of a contract year that (as Mike Trout proved) he’ll never get to and in the meantime we’re possibly pissing away valuable games for a playoff push without our best player.
Side 2: It’s a smart business move. And baseball is a business. He’ll be up and playing this April in Chicago and it’ll all be worth the wait. Plus that extra year is great negotiating power against Bryant’s pitbull agent Scott Boras.
I asked a co-worker this question yesterday:
If Kris Bryant would have gone 40/40 with 15 home runs and 30 RBIs in spring training and the Cubs still sent him down, would you be mad?
His response? “No”.
https://twitter.com/Marc_Normandin/status/582900630378909696
Amazing situation, really.
Literally not one person thinks that Kris Bryant can’t compete at an MLB level right now. In fact, outside of Gio Stanton, he might be the most feared slugger in all of baseball.
But he can’t get work at the highest professional level.
Half the Cubs fans are just fine with it.
Sigh.
+++++
The MLBPA (see Tweet above) has threatened legal action on Bryant’s behalf. They have 0% chance of winning anything of substance, but they kind of have to do something to show the other side that this particular clause in the collective bargaining agreement is silly, hurts players and is worth fighting over.
The Cubs will not call up Bryant the same day he’s eligible to come up and play without accruing a full year of MLB service time.
Why?
Just to make sure they aren’t liable in any suit that is filed.
But the bottom line – as often is the case in sports the past few years – the business side of sports is taking over the sports side of sports.
To wit-
I’m writing 800+ words about a collectively bargained union/employer contract and it’s implications on the future of minor league players instead of breaking down how much mothertrucking fun it would be to see Waino vs Bryant on opening day with GM1 of the 2015 season on the line.
Again – totally fine not seeing the dude. Anything that teams want to handicap themselves with is OK by me. Us Cardinals fans like to save a little something for a place we call October.
But for the sake of Cubs fans and fans of other MLB teams that will eventually go through this situation, I hope this silly service time rule gets ironed out so that the best players can play whenever they’re ready, not when it’s ideal for a club to have max leverage in a negotiation that may or may not take place in 7 years.
Maybe you don’t care about this situation because you’re not a fan of the Cubs.
You should, though.
Because if Kris Bryant can’t change the rules, then business has officially replaced fun.
And I’d rather be a fan instead of picking up a second job.
Photo: USA Today
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