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Thread: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

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    fan EddieMilner's Avatar
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    Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Yesterday, at lunch, I was speaking with a few co-workers about Mark Prior and his latest year ending report. Someone made the comment that these baseball players would be healthy a lot more often if their contract were not guaranteed (much like the NFL). What are your guys opinions? Do you think that a player is more likely to go on the DL if he knows his job isn't in jeporady? I think its a fair, valid, and interesting argument.


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    Member mroby85's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    probably depends on the player, i think most guys at the major league level want to play though. if it was a fake injury it would probably show up in the tests. that being said i do think baseball players are softer than football players.

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    Lark11 11BarryLarkin11's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by EddieMilner View Post
    Yesterday, at lunch, I was speaking with a few co-workers about Mark Prior and his latest year ending report. Someone made the comment that these baseball players would be healthy a lot more often if their contract were not guaranteed (much like the NFL). What are your guys opinions? Do you think that a player is more likely to go on the DL if he knows his job isn't in jeporady? I think its a fair, valid, and interesting argument.
    Personally, I think having non-guaranteed contracts in football is a joke. Contracts are supposed to bind both sides equally, so there is an inherent lack of fairness in NFL contracts. The player is bound to team and must perform his contractual obligations, but the team is not bound to the player and has the ability to void the contract. Something about that just doesn't sit right with me.

    As for the injury issue, I don't think it has much to do with guaranteed money. If a player is injured, then he shouldn't be playing. If he's trying to play through an injury because he's worried about his job security, then he could end up getting hurt worse and do substantial damage to his career.

    I don't think money is much of a factor in missed games. Professional athletes are ultra-competitive and they want to play, not sit out.

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    Beer is good!! George Anderson's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by EddieMilner View Post
    Yesterday, at lunch, I was speaking with a few co-workers about Mark Prior and his latest year ending report. Someone made the comment that these baseball players would be healthy a lot more often if their contract were not guaranteed (much like the NFL). What are your guys opinions? Do you think that a player is more likely to go on the DL if he knows his job isn't in jeporady? I think its a fair, valid, and interesting argument.

    Unfortunately the ONLY opinion that matters is Donald Fehr and I am quite sure he isnt going to let MLB scrap guaranteed contracts.

    To answer your question no doubt fewer players would go on the DL if they werent signed to a guaranteed contract. But in the long term a pitcher for example would jeopardize his future if he refused to go on the DL because of a certain twinge in his shoulder. He may try to pitch thru the pain because he doesnt want anything to jeopardize his contract for the next year but he may be sacrificing his long term future because he has to pitch thru the pain and ultimately damage his arm beyond repair.
    "Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard

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    Rally Onion! Chip R's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by mroby85 View Post
    that being said i do think baseball players are softer than football players.

    And basketball players are taller than baseball players.
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    Chip is right

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    Charlie Brown All-Star IslandRed's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    There's no rule that says teams have to give guaranteed multi-year contracts to anyone. That's just how the market for free agents has played out.
    Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice

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    Member mroby85's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    the thing is in baseball, there is no salary cap, so they can still go buy someone else if one doesn't work out. if you kept the players contract on the salary cap after a career ending injury in football, you may have trouble fielding a team.

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    Lark11 11BarryLarkin11's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by mroby85 View Post
    the thing is in baseball, there is no salary cap, so they can still go buy someone else if one doesn't work out. if you kept the players contract on the salary cap after a career ending injury in football, you may have trouble fielding a team.
    True, but then the team should still have to perform the contract. The organization should still have to pay the player in some manner, just don't make it count against the salary cap.

    The player has forfeited his right to sell his services to the highest bidder each year, but what has the team forfeited if they can void the contract and sever ties with the player?

    It just seems like it's a bit of an inequity, which is likely the result of a weaker Players' Union in the NFL.

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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by 11BarryLarkin11 View Post
    As for the injury issue, I don't think it has much to do with guaranteed money. If a player is injured, then he shouldn't be playing. If he's trying to play through an injury because he's worried about his job security, then he could end up getting hurt worse and do substantial damage to his career.
    And the team he plays for as well. See Milton, Eric. In that meltdown game against the Cubs last year, there's little doubt he wasn't ready, but he trotted out there anyway. In that regard, it's in the clubs' best interest to offer the players some sort of stability. There are always going to be dunderheads that think they can play through the pain, but it would happen a lot more if guys were working for their next contract every year. While I can see the merits, I'm not sure I want baseball to turn into Congressional elections where the campaigning for next year starts as soon as the last votes are counted.
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Boy Howdy ....How many times in the last .....five years have the reds been hurt by a player playing when he should have been on the DL?

    Dunn's is probably doing this right now.
    Claussen last year.
    The Lizard last year.
    Guardado didn't hurt the team, but he could have really screwed his arm up. Same with Merker.
    Austin Kearns may well have destroyed his chance at being a superstar by coming back too soon years back.

    Exactly who is it that is making up injuries and hiding on the DL? I mean, sure there are cases like Burton at the margin of the roster, but most of the times those shenanigans are from the front office, not the player.

    I mean...the notion that baseball players don't play injured is pretty comical here in Southeastern Ohio.
    "Even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me." Roy Tucker October 2010

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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by EddieMilner View Post
    Yesterday, at lunch, I was speaking with a few co-workers about Mark Prior and his latest year ending report. Someone made the comment that these baseball players would be healthy a lot more often if their contract were not guaranteed (much like the NFL). What are your guys opinions? Do you think that a player is more likely to go on the DL if he knows his job isn't in jeporady? I think its a fair, valid, and interesting argument.

    Players might not on the DL as often, but that doesn't mean they would be healthier.

    Do you really want a player with a physical problem hiding it because he thinks his job may be in jeopardy?

  13. #12
    nothing more than a fan Always Red's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    This will never happen, of course, but I would have really enjoyed a remuneration system in baseball similar to golf, tennis, and auto racing. Making the playoffs pays big dollars, winning a championship even more, and winning the World Series is like hitting the jackpot. You'd see an entirely different style of play, more team play, more guys willing TPTGTRW, etc. The players would have a salary cap of sorts for the regular season, with rewards for season-long production, that were set in place by MLB prior to the season. For instance players with large VORP's and RC's from the previous year would be paid at a higher value during the next regular season

    I know it's all a pipedream, and would/could never happen (and I certainly haven't thought it all the way through!), but it would be great to see production and winning directly rewarded. You certainly would see the end of the salary disparity of young players not being paid what they're worth, and old has-been's making too much money for too little production at the end of their careers. And pitchers signed to 4 year contracts, and being hurt for the last 3 years of that contract, would be a thing of the past.

    Just an idea that's come to my mind now and again...
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    nothing more than a fan Always Red's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by PuffyPig View Post

    Do you really want a player with a physical problem hiding it because he thinks his job may be in jeopardy?
    Used to happen all of the time in baseball. If you can't play, your job should be in jeopardy, that's just the way of the world. The next guy might be better than you.

    Steroids became a big problem in baseball exactly because they helped an athlete rebound from injury and pain more quickly, not because of huge strength gains.
    sorry we're boring

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    You know his story Redsland's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by EddieMilner View Post
    Someone made the comment that these baseball players would be healthy a lot more often if their contract were not guaranteed (much like the NFL). What are your guys opinions?
    I doubt it. A torn labrum is a torn labrum.

    I mean, if we're talking about paying players by the hour or something, then yeah, fewer of them will sit out with "flu-like symptoms" or go on the DL with "shoulder fatigue." But it would take a serious, real injury to get a contract terminated, and there's no way to play through those.

    Personally, I think if baseball contracts weren't guaranteed, more guys would bench themselves with day-to-day type injuries, unwilling to play through pain for fear of exacerbating some small malady.
    Makes all the routine posts.

  16. #15
    I rig polls REDREAD's Avatar
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    Re: Guaranteed Contracts in MLB

    Quote Originally Posted by IslandRed View Post
    There's no rule that says teams have to give guaranteed multi-year contracts to anyone. That's just how the market for free agents has played out.
    Exactly.

    Also, it might make more sense for a team to offer a player a 4 year/ $40 million guaranteed contract instead of a contract which pays him $20 million/year, nonguaranteed.

    Look how much Clemens makes going year to year.

    The players are willing to trade some cash for the longterm guarantee. That helps the owners as well.
    [Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob

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