Monday, November 28, 2011

Breaking down the new MLB collective bargaining agreement

Earlier this month Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that would make major changes to the sport, but also avoid the heated clashes seen in the NFL and NBA labor talks. Changes include tweaks to the playoffs, the draft, international players, luxury taxes, free agents and the All-Star Game. When broken down parts of this collective bargaining agreement may negatively impact the MLB, but as a whole it is a step in the right direction for the game of baseball.

Italicized portions come directly from the MLB CBA summary.

III-a-3. Article XX(D) major league free agents signing minor league contracts who are not added to the Opening Day roster or unconditionally released 5 days prior to Opening Day shall receive an additional $100,000 retention bonus and the right to opt out on June 1. 

This does not refer to players drafted by a team who have not yet reached the majors for more than six seasons; so don't worry Kansas City your farm system is safe. What this means is that a player who has six or more seasons of major league experience who is signed by a major league team and sent to the minors is able to seek additional funds for their services in the minors or opt out of their contract on June 1st and seek employment elsewhere. Think about Dontrelle Willis for this one. This has no real impact on the game that we see on the field.

B. A free agent will be subject to compensation if his former Club offers him a guaranteed one-year contract with a salary equal to the average salary of the 125-highest paid Players from the prior season. The offer must be made at the end of the five-day free agent "quiet period," and the Player will have seven days to accept the offer.

Meaning that fewer free agents will carry draft pick compensation with them, so the plundering of the Tampa Bay Rays last season would have been a net loss for them as they wouldn't have been awarded with more draft picks than their average attendance. Basically the rule says that the big name players will still carry draft pick compensation but that the less known relievers and reserve outfielders won't. A benefit for the game of baseball in my opinion, teams that can't hold onto their players will no longer show up to the draft with truck loads of jerseys to hand out to all their first round picks.

e. Rule 4 Draft
1. The draft will continue to be conducted in June, but the signing deadline will be moved to a date between July 12 and July 18 depending on the date of the All-Star Game.


Again, another good thing in this CBA. What this is doing is simply moving the signing date of draftees up a few days. Players tended to hold out to the deadline anyway in hopes of bigger contracts, so nothing will really change - they'll still hold out, it'll just take place earlier. Teams want to get their draft picks onto the field as soon as they can and this change allows them to do that.

3. Signing Bonus Pools
A. Each Club will be assigned an aggregate Signing Bonus Pool prior to each draft. For the purpose of calculating the Signing Bonus Pools, each pick in the first 10 rounds of the draft has been assigned a value. (These values will grow each year with the rate of growth of industry revenue.) A Club's Signing Bonus Pool equals the sum of the values of that Club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the draft. Players selected after the 10th round do not count against a Club's Signing Bonus Pool if they receive bonuses up to $100,000. Any amounts paid in excess of $100,000 will count against the Pool.
B. Clubs that exceed their Signing Bonus Pools will be subject to penalties as follows:
Excess of Pool Penalty (Tax on Overage/Draft Picks)
• 0-5 percent; 75 percent tax on overage
• 5-10 percent; 75 percent tax on overage and loss of 1st round pick
• 10-15 percent; 100 percent tax on overage and loss of 1st and 2nd round picks
• 15-plus percent; 100 percent tax on overage and loss of 1st round picks in next two drafts 


I know that was a long one to read, and probably a bit confusing but all it says is that major league teams will be assigned a flat amount from which they can doll out signing bonuses - and if they go over that number they will be hit with luxury taxes and the loss of future draft picks. This would be a victory for the owners more than the players, but it can also go a long way to help the MLB appeal to the average fan who disapproves of the astronomical dollar figures these draftees are receiving.

    5. Competitive Balance Lottery A. For the first time, Clubs with the lowest revenues and in the smallest markets will have an opportunity to obtain additional draft picks through a lottery. B. The ten Clubs with the lowest revenues, and the ten Clubs in the smallest markets, will be entered into a lottery for the six draft selections immediately following the completion of the first round of the draft. A Club's odds of winning the lottery will be based on its prior season's winning percentage. C. The eligible Clubs that did not receive one of the six selections after the first round, and all other payee Clubs under the Revenue Sharing Plan, will be entered into a second lottery for the six picks immediately following the completion of the second round of the draft. A Club's odds of winning the lottery will be based on its prior season's winning percentage. D. Picks awarded in the Competitive Balance Lottery may be assigned by a Club, subject to certain restrictions.
Finally, a victory for the little guys. It's a round-about way of doing it, but this awards the small market teams and the least competitive teams with more draft picks at the end of the certain rounds. While this does nothing to help these teams pay for their draft picks, it gives them the opportunity to sign more players and therefore have a better chance that they will develop into players that will benefit their club. Good move MLB.

    IX. DRUG PROGRAM Commencing in Spring Training 2012, all players will be subject to hGH blood testing for reasonable cause at all times during the year. In addition, during each year, all players will be tested during Spring Training. Starting with the 2012-2013 off-season, players will be subject to random unannounced testing for hGH. The parties have also agreed on a process to jointly study the possibility of expanding blood testing to include inseason collections. 
This portion of the CBA is huge -  while the NFL CBA did include a HGH testing claus, the NFLPA has not allowed for the implementation of that testing. This would make the MLB the first major sports league to test for HGH; furthering it's hardline stance against performance enhancing drugs. The only question is to when the MLB will be allowed to test players - before or after games, only on off days, on random days?

    X.. OTHER a. Participation in the All-Star Game will be required unless the Player is unable to play due to injury or is otherwise excused by the Office of the Commissioner. Players Trust will receive an increased contribution and players will receive additional benefits.
I'm including this one just so I can say this; A-Rod if you're voted to the All-Star Game...play in it! Rant aside, this is a good move for baseball - fans who voted for that player, clearly want to see that player play, see how that works? Suck it up and get out there A-Rod.

b. All Players will be subject to a policy governing the use of Social Media.  

Logan Morrison will have to watch what he tweets.

f. Instant Replay will be expanded to include fair/foul and "trapped" ball plays, subject to the Office of the Commissioner's discussions with the World Umpires Association.

Thank God. It's about time the MLB took a step into the 21st Century - finally umpires will be able to tell Curtis Granderson or whichever outfielder that, no, you didn't catch that ball, good luck on the Oscar though.

With that being said the new CBA is a gain for the MLB - some may disagree, some may be upset about the addition of more playoff teams, the NBA and NHL have about half of their teams make it to the post-season, I think the MLB can make due with a third of their teams getting in. Others may disagree with the move of the Astros from the National League to the American League, the schedule might finally be, gasp, balanced. Whichever way you choose to look at it is fine, but in the end the MLB is better off with this CBA being agreed to months ahead of deadline and not falling into the same quagmire as the NFL and the NBA.


 

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Why Verlander Deserved the American League MVP

Over the past two days Major League Baseball handed out their two most important individual awards to Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander - the Cy Young award and the Most Valuable Player award.

Verlander had battled Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Jered Weaver for the Cy Young down the stretch but after beating Weaver in a head-to-head matchup and throwing 100 more pitches than Weaver and still posting better numbers Verlander walked away with the highest award for a pitcher unanimously.

Verlander posted impressive numbers throughout the 2011 season; becoming the American League pitching Triple-Crown and winning the AL Cy Young award with a 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, 250 SO and a 0.920 WHIP. Those numbers are impressive, and near the top, if not at the top, of the Detroit Tigers record books - meaning that the Cy Young was Verlander's to lose, but the MVP was a different story.

Many sports writers have refused to vote for a pitcher as the MVP in the past, saying that a players that plays every fifth day cannot have the same impact as an everyday player. It appears as though that thought process has subsided in past years and an acceptance of pitchers as valuable to their clubs and sabermetrics has moved MLB post season awards to be handed out to the most deserving players. He became the first pitcher to win the MVP since Oakland's Dennis Eckersley in 1992 and the first starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986.

The Baseball Writers of America got their AL MVP correct, with 13 naming Verlander their top choice and another 13 selecting him for second place. He appeared on 27 of 28 ballots being left off by Jim Ingraham of The Herald-News in Ohio, who said that he could not place a pitcher on the MVP ballot in all due conscience.He went on to say that Verlander did not appear in 79 percent of the Tigers games, meaning that pitchers don't play often enough to be the MVP.
Yes, Verlander played in 35 games for the Tigers in 2011, but breaking down the numbers shows that his statistics are comparable to any position player in the game. In Verlander's 35 starts he faced on average 35 batters; therefore in his 35 games he affected 1,225 plays. Conversely, a player who starts all 162 games for his team and averages four at-bats and four plays in the field affects 1,296 plays. The 91 play difference a season is hardly call for Verlander's exclusion from the MVP consideration.

What made Verlander the MVP aside from his eye popping numbers were his 16 wins following a Tigers loss - that is what makes a player truly valuable. Throughout the 2011 season Verlander was in a Tigers rotation that featured an inconsistent Rick Porcello, the oft-maligned Brad Penny and the on-again off-again Max Scherzer. It wasn't until the deadline addition of Doug Fister that Verlander had a true option to back him up in the rotation.  

While others may argue against the selection of a pitcher as the most valuable player they must agree that the numbers that Verlander posted throughout the 2011 season were quite impressive. Some might even say his numbers make him very valuable.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Off Season Moves the Tigers Need to Make

First off, it's been a while since the last post, I hope many of you return and start reading this again on a regular basis because I plan on updating it regularly once again. Thanks to everyone for reading.

Detroit nearly hobbled its way into the World Series in 2011 and despite coming up short of the ultimate goal, the team still finished as one of the last four playing and came within one game of representing the American League for the second time in five seasons.

2011 was a year that provided many insights into this team; Alex Avila became cemented as the No. 1 catcher for the foreseeable future, Doug Fister will push Justin Verlander to be even better than he currently is, and Delmon Young, while expendable, is a power outfielder who comes up huge in the clutch.

Last season also showed the many weaknesses the Tigers have, and other teams exploited those weaknesses to get by them in the playoffs. Once Victor Martinez came up lame in a game he was never able to back up Avila, which led to Avila catching all but two games down the stretch. That over use wore down the young backstop to the point where he resembled Kirk Gibson limping around the bases. The Tigers needed to find a back up catcher for Avila, and they found that in ex-Tiger Gerald Laird.

While not a fan favorite, Laird has proven that he is one of the most efficient defensive catchers in the game. His bat may be the equal to that of Brandon Inge but as long as he stays healthy enough to catch every fifth game and can help to mentor Avila, that's all the Tigers are looking for. This pick up was a good one by the Tigers.

The two remaining glaring holes for Detroit are at third and second base. While Inge is under contract for another season, it won't take long for the Tigers to grow tired of his inability to hit anything resembling a baseball. And after his tirade against the fans last season, his popularity in Detroit is wavering and won't withstand another season from hell like 2011. 

The 2012 free agent class for third basemen isn't exactly chock-full of star athletes; while Wilson Betemit served the Tigers well down the stretch he is not an everyday player and the Tigers brass seems to see things that way as well. Betemit has not been offered a contract for next season, which is the best thing for the team.

Notable free agents that would fit well with the Tigers would be either Jorge Cantu or Kevin Kouzmanoff. Through eight seasons Cantu has a career batting average of .271 and an on-base percentage of .316. Cantu is a good fit with Detroit because he is a utility player who specializes at third base, but has the ability to play either second or first as well. He has struggled to remain healthy and his numbers have slipped recently, but because of that his asking price could be driven down quite a bit from his hay-day in Miami.

Kevin Kouzmanoff is available for arbitration for the next two seasons so if the Rockies see what others see in him then the Tigers won't be able to snag him until he's a free agent until 2014. Kouzmanoff has a career batting average of .255 and a .300 on-base percentage. And he boasted a .713 OPS while playing over 100 games in the expanses of Coors Field.

The Tigers should pursue either of these third basemen diligently as either would bring a solid defensive front to the hot-corner as well as a powerful bat to the line-up.

Second base has become a glaring hole for Detroit, with the position being a platoon for the entire 2011 season, with six players taking the position in the field. Ramon Santiago, Ryan Raburn, Will Rhymes, Scott Sizemore, Danny Worth and Carlos Guillen all played second last year.

With a revolving door at second, Detroit has no true prospects or options at second base. Once again, the free agent class of second base is quite barren. After the Diamondbacks snapped up Aaron Hill to a new contract the only appealing player on the market is Kelly Johnson, but a contract with him would require the Tigers to send a first-round draft pick to Toronto in return.

Recent rumors have the Tigers trading Delmon Young to Atlanta in return for Martin Prado. This deal would incredibly bolster Detroit and add a powerful, consistent lead-off hitter to the line-up. Prado is a career .293 hitter in his six seasons in the majors with a .341 OBP. He has had experience and success being a lead-off hitter for the Braves and would be able to relieve some pressure from Austin Jackson in that role.

Should the Tigers complete this trade they would need to fill the vacancy left in left field by Young, and the solution is sitting in the free agent pool waiting to be snatched up. Coco Crisp, traditionally a center fielder, is available and would thrive in the vast left field of Comerica Park.

Detroit has long needed to build a team to fit Comerica Park and the addition of Crisp would do just that. Having two center fielders would save the Tigers multiple runs that they would have lost if Young would have continued to play. Crisp has a .271 career batting average and a .330 OBP, not to mention he can bring speed to the basepaths in Detroit. In 2011 he swiped 49 bases for the Athletics and with that speed and clear skill he can teach Jackson how to improve on the paths. 

The off-season is still young and there are still plenty of moves to be made, but the Tigers must address the weaknesses that showed through at the end of the 2011 season. If they do that successfully, they will be back in the playoffs and will be representing the American League in the World Series in 2012.