Yes. The answer is definitely yes. The recent Nolan Arenado trade exemplifies the problem with the system. For those of you unaware, the Rockies traded Arenado to the Cardinals for a few meh players (I guess they are prospects) and some money…oh wait, sorry. The Rockies are paying money, like a lot of money.
Then there was the Francisco Lindor trade a few weeks ago. The Mets get one of the best young shortstops in baseball, while the Indians get a few meh prospects. At least Cleveland didn’t send a boatload of cash over to New York.
I do not know how to fix the system. A salary cap is not the answer. If you have a cap, then there needs to be a salary floor. Or maybe the real answer is to just reduce the major league down to like fourteen teams (Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, Red Sox, Phillies, Astros, Cubs, White Sox, Nationals, Braves, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Padres). I don’t know, maybe them? Maybe a few more. Basically any team that is willing to spend over $120 million. The other sixteen teams can be in a sub-level league that operates under $120 million.
Yeah, it would pretty much be a minor league system, but change the contract structures. Or maybe have posting fees. Like if the Pirates have Mitch Keller and he becomes an ace, if the Yankees want to sign him, they have to pay the Pirates a fee before they get the right to negotiate with Keller (I think that is how the Japanese league works, right?).
Whatever, I do not know what the solution is to this problem. It just sucks watching a team like the Rockies trade away a superstar for next to nothing. Pirates fans are used to it. We have been told for years that we are a small market team and we have to operate this way to be competitive (how is that working out for us though?). There has to be a better way.
