With the addition of Max Scherzer, it would appear the New York Mets rotation is set. After all, they already have Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker returning. They also have two interesting young pitchers in Tylor Megill and David Peterson, who should be given every opportunity to battle for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Looking at Megill first, he was a revelation when he was called up to the majors. Through his first seven starts, he was 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA while walking 11 and striking out 39 over 35.1 innings. For some, he was reminiscent of deGrom, and you could argue it was more like John Maine in 2006. Whatever the case, he pitched well in what was then a pennant race.
After those seven starts, Megill tapered off as he reached innings he never reached in his career. Over his final 11 starts, Megill was 3-6 with a 6.13 ERA while averaging just under 5.0 innings per start. On the bright side, his control remained strong with 16 walks and 60 strikeouts over 54.1 innings. When you see him, there is something very promising there, and it’s incumbent on the Mets to best figure out how to allocate his innings to have him ready for September and October.
Peterson was a different story. He followed a promising albeit statistically troubling rookie season during the pandemic with a poor and injury shortened second year. It’s difficult to know when the oblique began to start bothering him and impacting his performance, but Peterson followed a season with a 4.52 FIP with a 4.78. We would see his 125 ERA+ fall more in line with the FIP dropping to a very poor 73 in 2021. While the strikeouts went up, the walks remained high.
With these two, Peterson has the better pedigree as he’s a former first round pick. However, Megill has better recent success. All told, they are both still a bit raw for the Major League level. You can certainly justify giving one or both of them a spot in the rotation. The better option would be to keep them both in Triple-A to allow them to further battle it out and get ready for when the Mets staff has an inevitable injury.
Keep in mind, the Mets needed 19 starting pitchers last season. Of course, part of that was using pitchers like Aaron Loup and Miguel Castro as openers, but the point remains they needed that many starters. Marcus Stroman was their only starter to make at least 30 starts, and he signed with the Chicago Cubs last season. What the Mets need more than anything right now is pitching depth, and with their having a lack of near Major League ready starters in the upper levels of the minors, they need to manufacture that depth.
With that in mind, the Mets need to sign another starter whenever this lockout ends. Keep in mind, future Hall of Famers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw are still available. There are other interesting stopgap options as well, and of course, there is also Trevor Williams, who the Mets added at the trade deadline last year.
Whatever the case, the Mets have four very solid starting pitching options if they’re healthy. In fact, when they’re healthy, they’re the top four in the majors. That’s the key. They have to be healthy, and the Mets have to plan for the event they won’t be. That is exactly why Megill and Peterson should be positioned to start the year in Triple-A whenever they permit this 2022 season to begin.
Babe Ruth is widely considered the greatest baseball player who ever lived. In his era, he would out-homer entire teams. When he hit 60 homers in 1927, he passed the single season home run mark. Of course, he was beating his own mark, a feat he would accomplish on a number of occasions.
By the way, Ruth was also an accomplished pitcher. He had a career 122 ERA+, and he once held the record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series. No one in the history of baseball would dominate the sport in the way he did.
Fast-forward a century later, and many people scoff at the notion Ruth is the greatest player in Major League history. Their argument is Ruth never faced the type of pitching we see in the modern game. Assuredly, Jacob deGrom and his stuff would make Walter Johnson look like a Four-A pitcher . . . at best.
Of course, part of that misses the point. A century ago, deGrom would never make it to the Major Leagues. Remember, deGrom would undergo Tommy John surgery in 2010. We wouldn’t see Tommy John undergo that surgery until 39 years after Ruth played his last game. To put it further in perspective, medicine was so far behind where it was now that penicillin wasn’t discovered by Alexander Fleming until Ruth was in his 15th Major League season.
If you were to put modern day pitchers back in the game a century ago, they couldn’t compete, or better yet, they wouldn’t be anywhere near the pitchers they are now. There aren’t the modern training techniques or training. There isn’t the focus on changing baseballs as frequently as they do now.
In fact, it was routine until 1920 that one baseball would be used per game. As a result, you would get dirty, heavy, and hard to pick up on baseballs. While that would suppress pitch velocity, it would also reduce exit velocity. It wasn’t until Ray Chapman‘s death, that things would change.
Aside from that, while it is true Ruth probably never saw a pitcher like Noah Syndergaard‘s fastball or slider, pitches were routinely scuffed, and pitchers were permitted to use the spit ball (and likely used many other substances). Fact is, every time Ruth stepped to the plate, he was effectively facing Mike Scott on the mound. Also, keep in mind, someone like Johnson or Smoky Joe Wood was throwing their fastballs in the lower 90s.
Another consideration is during Ruth’s playing days, he routinely used bats which weighted as much as 54 ounces. The modern day bat weighs around 33 – 36 ounces. Ruth was hitting the ball when it was likely mostly thrown in the 70s and 80s. Keep in mind, he was hitting the ball out of ballparks whose fences were typically deeper
Even if we were to assume Ruth could not keep up with the current velocity, he could drop 15 ounces on his bat and be much better positioned to catch up to that velocity. It should also be noted Ruth would be using a significantly better quality bat than he was using a century ago.
That’s exactly the point. If you put Ruth into baseball a century later, he would have every advantage the modern day player has. If you put the modern day player in baseball a century ago, they may not be able to even step on the field. Overall, Ruth dominated his era like no one ever has or ever will. If you gave him all of the modern advantages, or you took them away from the modern player, he would absolutely destroy those pitchers because Ruth was that great.
Back in 1995, after the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, the Major League owners opted to lock out the striking players, and they began the process of using replacement players. Their plans were foiled when now Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor put a preliminary injunction in place.
The ruling fortunately put the replacement player plan to bed, but it cast many players with a black mark. One of those players was New York Mets pitcher Rick Reed.
Reed was put in a completely impossible position. At the time, Reed was a borderline player who needed an income to pay for his mother’s medical bills. He was told by the Cincinnati Reds if he did not agree to become a replacement player, he was going to be released and blackballed from the game. In many ways, he had no other option.
It was something which ate him up inside in the moment and years to come. He was no longer a part of the union, and during his brief time in the majors in 1995, he was ostracized in the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse. After the season, he was granted free agency leading to his becoming a member of the New York Mets.
By and large, it was the best thing to happen for Reed and the Mets. There may be many reasons why he didn’t face the same backlash as the other replacement players did or what he faced in Cincinnati. Part of the reason was Bobby Valentine had his back after his success in Norfolk. The Mets had a strong clubhouse, and they already had one of their own replacement players in Benny Agbayani.
Mostly, it might have just been he pitched very well for the Mets. He was an extraordinary surprise going quickly from the bullpen to the rotation. It was a career best year where he had a team best 2.89 ERA and 141 ERA+. Reed would only build and grow from there becoming a gutsy veteran presence in the Mets rotation.
He backed that season up by being an All-Star in 1998 (and would be again in 2001), and he would help the Mets win the 1999 Wild Card. He stepped up with a huge 12 strikeout performance pulling the Mets to a tie with his former Reds team for the last Wild Card spot. Reed would then win the first ever NLDS Game in Shea Stadium history.
Reed would go on to become a top 10 pitcher in Mets history. He was eventually accepted by his teammates, and he was beloved by Mets fans. However, despite all of that, he was left forever banned from MLB because he needed to pay his mother’s medical bills, and he didn’t want his MLB career to be over before it eventually began. That’s why you’ll never see him in a video game.
Right now, it does not appear MLB has any intention to repeating the use of replacement players. They seem more than content to cancel games while they wait out the players. That said, who knows how long it will be before MLB gets that idea in their head again and puts the next Rick Reed in another impossible situation. Hopefully, that day will never come.
Once again SNY ran with pure garbage from Andy Martino. He once again levied libelous accusations accusing a loyal fan base of being racist with zero evidence to support the bone-headed contention. This is exactly what he does.
He says Mets fans should support Chase Utley. Its racist to boo a vastly underperforming Luis Castillo even if Martino, himself, called Yoenis Cespedes lazy for getting double heel surgery. Now, he wants us all to tell him why Mets fans don’t like Robinson Cano while again accusing Mets fans of being racist.
Before delving further on Cano, go back to 2019. You could argue Cano not performing up to standards was a key factor why the Mets missed the postseason that year. No, it wasn’t the only reason, but it was certainly a factor.
After all, the could be Hall of Famer had one of the worst years of his career with a 94 wRC+ and a -2 DRS. Cano was supposed to be a big bat in the lineup and steadying influence in the infield for a young Amed Rosario. Instead, in what was an injury plagued season, he underachieved and was at times a liability.
In year one, following that horrific trade where the Mets gave up both Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn while assuming nearly all of his contract, Cano was already the liability many thought he would be before the end of his career. What’s funny is despite that fans were not booing him when he took the field or came to the plate.
This was far from a Francisco Lindor situation. Mets fans may not have fully embraced Cano, but they certainly did not jeer him. No, he was treated with some level of reverence for all he accomplished in his career while many hoped getting away from Chili Davis could rejuvenate his career.
While you could’ve given Cano credit for his 2020 resurgence, we found out it was because of PEDs. His using PEDs that season did lead to his second suspension costing him the entirety of the 2021 season.
When Mets fans look at Cano now, they’re not angry with him or booing him. They’re not demanding he get released or traded. Sure, there are fans who want that, but if you go back to the 1970s, you could assuredly find Mets fans who were happy the team traded Tom Seaver. Mistaking a vocal minority or giving the lunatic fringe credit is always disingenuous and irresponsible (to be fair, that is what this article does in part by even addressing Martino).
When Mets fans look at Cano, they see a player who was the key return in one of the worst trades in franchise history. It was his contract which was yet another excuse why the Wilpons refused to spend to help get the Mets to the World Series. Now, he’s just an odd fit who is 39 trying to become a real everyday contributor to a Major League team for the first time since the 2017 season.
Mets fans don’t hate Cano. Saying they dislike him is a stretch. No, they’ve been frustrated with him, and now, they don’t know how he fits. When he does come back, he’s not going to immediately be booed, and if he contributes everything related to the trade and suspension will quickly be forgotten. Really, proferring otherwise is just plain wrong.
Then again, the Wilpons still own SNY, and as we know, they have nothing but contempt for Mets fans. This is why they pay Martino to go forth and spew pure unsubstantiated garbage like this.
If you were not around to watch New York Mets baseball in the early 1990s, you missed out on Jeff Innis. You missed out on the career of one of the best middle relievers in Mets history.
Really, the side-winding submariner Innis was the epitome of a middle reliever. He was so much so, he set records of which many are unaware.
In 1992, he was the Mets rankings for most relief appearances in a season. His mark of 76 appearances would set the Mets record for appearances in a season. The previous mark was when Innis made 69 appearances in 1991.
Keep in mind, many of Innis appearances lasted more than an inning. For example, 31 of his 76 appearances in 1992 were over an inning. That’s just the type of reliever he was. He took the ball as often as needed and gave the team all he could give and likely much more.
During that time, Innis set the Major League record for appearances with recording a win or save. That streak of 60 appearances ended when he got the Opening Day win in 1992.
He wouldn’t set another record for appearances in 1993. Instead, he’d settle for what was then third all-time with 67. After that 1993 season, Innis’ Major League career was over.
Innis walked off the field a winner. He pitched the final two innings of the last game of the season to wrap up the Mets 7-1 win over the expansion Florida Marlins.
He would spend his entire seven year career with the Mets. In his career, he was 10-20 with a 3.05 ERA, five saves, and a 1.272 WHIP. Impressively, he had a 120 ERA+.
After Innis left the Mets, everything changed.
We’d see a World Series be canceled due to a strike. There was the ensuing steroid era and all the other little and big scandals along the way.
Mostly, relievers were used differently and much more frequently. Now, we even see relievers starting games. From there, Innis began to fade from memory.
In 1999, Turk Wendell and Armando Benitez topped his appearances record. Benitez would tie his mark in 2000 with Wendell surpassing him again. We’d eventually see other Mets surpass Innis with the late Pedro Feliciano now being the Mets reliever with the top three single season appearance records.
Sadly, like Feliciano, Innis has passed away young. The Mets have lost two sidewinding and durable relievers who had made an indelible mark on Mets history.
Indeed, Innis is still in the Mets record books. He’s ninth all-time for relief appearances and 13th all-time for games finished.
More than that, there’s the memories from the fans. For me, in addition to seeing him nearly everyday for that three year stretch, my dad taught me to keep score at Shea Stadium in Mets Magazine with Innis on the cover.
Innis made an indelible mark on Mets history. More importantly, he resonated with Mets fans. While he’s gone, he will never be forgotten.
When we first learned on the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal, it was presented as the worst thing to ever happen to the game of baseball. Led by Carlos Beltran and Alex Cora, the Astros designed a system to let the hitters know what pitch was coming. For many, the end result was an ill-gotten 2017 World Series championship.
In all honesty, the scandal was always blown way out of proportion. For proof of that, we need to go back to the Shot Heard Round the World. To this very day, Bobby Thompson‘s homer is celebrated as one of the biggest moments in Major League history, and you could argue it was the earliest great game captured on television.
The thing about that shot was it was a sham. Thompson got the sign for the pitch Ralph Branca was going to throw, and he homered. If you think what the Astros did was bad, consider the Giants trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers by 12.5 games with 41 games remaining. They would go on a 36-7 (.818) tear to end the season and force that three game playoff culminating in that epic homer.
Of course, much of that was lost in the years after the 2017 World Series. Players were forever tainted. Beltran was fired as the New York Mets manager without managing so much as one game, and the Boston Red Sox fired Cora after he guided them to the 2018 World Series. While they were the only ones who faced consequences, fans and players alike were furious and still hold a grudge to this day.
Fast-forward to the 2022 Hall of Fame announcement. Despite his part with the 2017 Red Sox sign stealing and the PEDs, David Ortiz was put into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. There were players bewildered on how Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens would not be inducted into the Hall of Fame after their careers and 10 years on the ballot.
Who cares about validation from a bunch of outdated-ass writers. MLB has a pre-historic mindset with all endeavors. Barry Bonds is a HOF. Everyone who’s actually gone out on that field and grinded at the big-league level would agree…as well as a large majority of the fans!
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) January 26, 2022
Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame and Barry Bonds is not
— Phil Hughes (@PJHughes45) January 27, 2022
Growing up means realizing Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the HOF
— Zac Gallen (@zacgallen23) January 25, 2022
This is just a sampling of the many players who took time out to voice Bonds and Clemens belong in the Hall of Fame. Notably, as we have heard with other players, they have a problem with steroid and PED users getting into the Hall of Fame. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and arguably, the players more so since they competed on the field.
Here’s the problem – you can’t simultaneously call for PED users to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while also chastising the Astros. The aims of the PED users and the Astros players was to win. They did everything they could do to win even if it meant cheating. Yes, they both cheated. If you want the PED players to be rewarded, you can’t simultaneously chastise the Astros. That’s the epitome of hypocrisy.
Seeing how the majority seemingly want Bonds and Clemens in the Hall of Fame, it’s long past time we forget about the Astros sign stealing. Really, that was nothing compared to breaking the law to cheat their way to awards, championships, and the Hall of Fame.
Mike Piazza completely owned Roger Clemens. The Hall of Fame catcher hit .421/.500/1.105 with a double, four homers, and 10 RBI in 22 plate appearances. Again, it was pure dominance.
Well, as we have learned, Clemens is mentally unstable. Yes, it is an appropriate way to describe Clemens. After all, how else would you describe someone who throws a 90+ MPH fastball at someone’s head because he hits extraordinarily well against you?
This was all premeditated. Clemens didn’t intimidate Piazza, so Clemens needed to go out there and try to injure Piazza. Concussing him wasn’t sufficient for Clemens. In Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, Clemens would take it a step further by throwing a bat at an unsuspecting Piazza.
Clemens excuse he thought it was the ball was always absurd, and people like Joe Torre embarrassed themselves when they made the claim Clemens thought it was the ball. Were we really supposed to believe a then 17 year MLB veteran thought a ball hit back to the mound should be fired towards the batter? If you look at the video again, Clemens looks at Piazza while throwing the bat.
Well, time has elapsed since their last encounter. That includes the very awkward situation in the 2004 All Star Game when both were elected starters leaving Piazza to catch Clemens. That led to the hilarious accusations Piazza was tipping off American League batters. What made that moment even better for Piazza was the fact the game was played in Clemens’ home ballpark and hometown of Houston.
You could claim that was revenge for Piazza, but as we were all told growing up, the best revenge is living well. On that front, Piazza is happily married with three children. He has also seen his number 31 retired by the New York Mets, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
With respect to Clemens, he was on the ballot for 10 years, and he never received the 75% needed for induction. As a result, Clemens has not been voted into the Hall of Fame, and there is no telling when he will be up for consideration by the Veteran’s Committee. It should also be noted no franchise has retired his number including the Yankees who retired everyone’s number under the Steinbrenners.
In the end, despite all Clemens tried to do to injure Piazza and potentially end his career, Piazza got the last laugh. He has a plaque in Cooperstown Clemens does not have and perhaps may never receive.
Somehow, David Ortiz was the only player voted into the by the BBWAA. Every single way you look at it, this was just ridiculous, and you can only conclude the best way to get into the Hall of Fame is to be nice to reporters.
First and foremost, it is without question Ortiz failed the same PED test Sammy Sosa did. This is not up for debate. While Rob Manfred can come to his rescue, he noticeably didn’t for Sosa even if the defenses presented for Ortiz apply to Sosa.
It must also be noted Sosa was a far superior player. Sosa had a 58.6 WAR and 609 homers. Ortiz had a 55.3 WAR and 541 homers. It should also be noted Sosa won an MVP.
On the topic of MVPs who are tainted by PEDs, this was Barry Bonds‘ 10th and final year on the ballot. As we know, Bonds didn’t garner the requisite 75% needed for induction.. As a result, he will not be a problem for the Veteran’s Committee, the same committee which inducted Bud Selig despite all of his transgressions which including his part in the steroid era drama.
Unequivocally, Bonds was a the far superior player. It should also be noted Bonds never tested positive whereas Ortiz did test positive. The key difference between the two players is Bonds was cantankerous, and Ortiz made himself a caricature. Yes, it was a caricature. After all, this is the same Ortiz who threw bats at umpires and did not permit anyone other than himself celebrating on the field.
Another player who never tested positive was Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was only able to garner 34.3% of the vote despite his being a far superior player to Ortiz in every way. What’s interesting about that is Ortiz and A-Rod both trained with Angel Presinal, a trainer banned by MLB for his administering PEDs to players and advising them how to beat tests.
Think about that. Bonds and Rodriguez were far superior players to Ortiz. Bonds and Rodriguez never tested positive, but the press didn’t like them, but they loved Ortiz. That’s the only difference. The love of Ortiz meant more than PED use or numbers.
That goes for Manny Ramirez who wasn’t liked despite his vastly superior 69.3 WAR and 154 OPS+. That goes double for Gary Sheffield who had a 60.5 WAR and admitted to taking illegal substances because he was duped by Bonds and Balco. If Sheffield was nicer to the press, maybe all of that would be ignored, and he would be a Hall of Famer today.
Really, look up and down this ballot, and you realize Ortiz shouldn’t have been inducted in the Hall of Fame. Case-in-point, he was the 16th best player on the ballot. Ironically, right ahead of him was Jeff Kent, a player who hasn’t been able to gain much traction because of his defense. Just imagine a voter holding Kent’s defense against him while casting a vote for a DH. Then again, Kent wasn’t renown for being cooperative with the press
If you think things are bad for Kent, consider Tim Hudson. He had a 57.9 WAR with no hint of any PED use during his career. He failed to garner the requisite five percent of the vote to stay on the ballot. Read that again, Hudson was a more productive player accumulating a higher WAR and having a higher WAR per season, and he couldn’t stay on the ballot while Ortiz was a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Just when you think the hypocrisy has gone too far, consider the case of Omar Vizquel. Last year, Vizquel received 49.1% of the vote. When domestic violence allegations came to light, Vizquel became the rate Hall of Fame candidate to see his vote total drop. In fact, it plummeted to 23.9%. Of course, Ortiz’s history on the subject was never contemplated.
Again, it all goes back to Ortiz being a caricature who was nice to the press. Curt Schilling was far superior to him, but he’s not in because he was downright nasty to reporters. The same goes for many of the PED users who did not get inducted. Selecting Hall of Famers based purely on how nice they were to you is ridiculous, and it is an embarrassment to the Hall of Fame and the BBWAA.
Everyone deserves better. Well, everyone except Ortiz. He didn’t deserve or merit this honor, but he got it anyway.
It used to be in order for a New York Mets player to have their number retired, they needed to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a New York Met. That is why Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza had their numbers retired, and why Gary Carter didn’t. Had the Baseball Hall of Fame not treated Carter differently than every other Hall of Famer in baseball history, his number 8 would be in the rafters at Citi Field.
Somewhere along the way, perhaps not coincidentally coinciding with Steve Cohen’s purchase of the New York Mets, the Mets changed their policy on retiring numbers. First, it was Jerry Koosman. Then, it was Keith Hernandez. Certainly, we anticipate David Wright will be next followed by a massive argument amongst the fanbase as to who gets their numbers retired.
Therein lies the problem. When the Mets had a stringent policy, there was at least one. A player wasn’t slighted by not having their number retired, and they weren’t having their career or impact on the Mets belittled. Rather, there was a policy in place, but there was a Mets Hall of Fame available for some of the true Mets greats.
Now, there is admittedly a quagmire. While you can argue Koosman and Hernandez tweak the standard to impactful and great Mets who have won a World Series, Wright’s eventual number retirement will throw all of that out. What follows is really just chaos, and more importantly, a need for explanation on a number of players.
John Franco is the all-time leader in team history in saves, and he was the third team captain in history. You can argue his number should now be retired. If it should, do you double retire 31, or do you retire his 45? If you opt for 45, why not Tug McGraw too?
However, if you retire McGraw, do you then have to look at Armando Benitez, Jeurys Familia, and Jesse Orosco? All three have more saves and pitched on Mets pennant winning teams.
What happens to Edgardo Alfonzo? By WAR, Alfonzo is the Mets best middle infielder, and he ranks ahead of Hernandez in the rankings. He was part of the best infield in Major League history, was a clutch hitter, won a pennant, and he won the New York-Penn League championship as a manager.
Bud Harrelson was the first Met inducted into the team Hall of Fame, and he’s the only man to win a ring with the 1969 and 1986 teams. Howard Johnson was the first Met to have a 30/30 season, he’s the only Met to do it twice, and he was part of the 1986 Mets.
Of course, you have Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. Both symbolize all that was great and went wrong with those 1980s teams. To this day, you could argue they’re also two of the most beloved Mets ever.
Everyone is going to have their line and opinion. Without clear standards, each and every one of these players will be slighted by not having their number retired. There are and will be more.
Yes, honoring Koosman and Hernandez is great. They deserve to be honored. It feels good to honor them.
What doesn’t sit right is all those who won’t get that honor now wondering why they haven’t.
This baseball offseason is a bit of history. It marks the first time there is a labor shutdown of the sport because of a lockout and not because of a strike. The last time the players had actually gone on strike was during the 1994 season.
You could say much of that strike is still impacting the sport to this very day. The Montreal Expos were the best team in baseball, and they never had an opportunity to win the World Series. Instead, they would be stripped for parts, and eventually, they would be moved to Washington D.C.
The steroid era was also a fallout from that strike. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa went to heroes and saviors of the game to vilified. It’s telling that neither player has garnered the 75% required for Hall of Fame induction while we are about to see David Ortiz become a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Despite that strike and the fallout, the game has grown since that time. While that strike led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, it did not mean the players wouldn’t use the strike as leverage in future negotiations. In fact, the players again used the threat during the 2002 season.
Make no mistake, nothing would have ever been as seen as so tone deaf as to striking after 9/11. No one, and I repeat no one, had any stomach for players striking over what was at least publicly portrayed as players being resistant to PED testing. All of the good will of the Mike Piazza homer, Bobby Valentine‘s work at Shea Stadium, and really what all of Major League Baseball did after the attacks would have been erased entirely.
However, the MLBPA used it as a tool because their main interest is bargaining for the best possible deal for their constituents. Certainly, the threat in 2002 came off as tone deaf, and perhaps, the players were bolstered by the way the game recovered post-1994. Regardless, the MLBPA did what they needed to do.
From there, MLB and the MLBPA had labor peace. There were four consecutive collective bargaining agreements reached before the threat of a strike or lockout was deemed necessary by either side. However, in all of that, there were two important agreements which were reached, which truly hamper the game and the negotiations to this day.
The first is the owners never relented on service time manipulation or the start of free agency. The second, and oft overlooked, is in the famed 2002 agreement. In that agreement, the CBA term end date was moved from October 31 to December. It has remained since, and it has had an impact on the leverage when it comes to strikes or lock outs.
Eventually, there was going to come a point and time where that date was going to prevent the players from considering a strike and for the owners of using the lockout tactic. That happens to be this offseason.
Of course, this is only part of it. There is Tony Clark‘s failures in previous negotiations, and there is also Rob Manfred’s tone deafness. Certainly, Manfred has shown a willful disregard for growing the game, and really, he only sees baseball as a zero sum game to get as much money for the owners as possible. After all, this is the same commissioner who took baseball out of communities and contracted minor league teams because minor leaguers had the gaul to ask for a living wage.
Now, we see Manfred and the owners not wanting to relent on service time manipulation or free agency. They have never done so, and now, they have stuck their feet firmly in the ground while this is actually the biggest issue for the players. The thing is the owners have all of the leverage right now.
WIth the lockout, the owners can skip revenue losers like Spring Training, and the first month of the season which typically has lower attendance. They can really hold out until the weather warms while many players who need money are without a paycheck. At some point, they may also use the tactic of using minor league players to start the season.
Of course, the players could have threatened a strike to co-opt some leverage. The postseason remains a massive profit for the owners, and threatening that could have gotten the players some leverage on their issues. Instead, Clark had them play the full season, the postseason, and right into the owner’s hands. It’s not the first time he’s done that, and it probably won’t be the last.
For the moment, all we can see is no baseball until the players capitulate. Twenty years ago, this never would have happened. The players would go so far as to miss out on the World Series to ensure that wouldn’t happen. Now, well, they don’t see to have the same leadership or will to fight they once had for what is best for them or the game.