Was chatting with a buddy today. He is convinced there will be a strike next year because both sides are too stubborn to work out an agreement. I told him there has to be a solution to the main sticking point: Service Time. Work out the service time issue and everything else will fall in place.
I came up with an idea that gives the players and the owners something they want.
After a player has spent a set number of years in the minors without any callups (the number would be more than two years), a player can declare himself a Free Agent at the end of the season. If he is not signed by another team by February 15th the next year (start of Spring Training), he remains with his team. If another team makes an offer, the player's current team has 48 hours to match the offer or lose the player.
The service time clock starts when the player is called up unless it is after September 1st, then the clock is delayed until a season when he is called up. The player would still be eligible to claim Free Agency if he meets the minimum number of minor league time.
Here is how the players get a win: the only free agents who will get offers are the guys who are ready for The Show. Otherwise, they become a very expensive gamble. This allows a Kris Bryant, for example, to play a full season at The Show if he is ready. If Bryant had declared himself a FA at the end of the season before he made his debut, he would have most likely received an offer because he was ready to move up.
Here is how the owners get a win: The players who have some really good qualities, but still need some polish will most likely stay in place or receive modest contract offers that are easy to match. The team can keep this player at AAA legitimately to develop his skills.
The Sept. 1st deadline is the key. It would be very difficult for a team to keep a stud prospect down that long who is obviously ready until it is too late to make a difference for the season. Such a prospect would get a ton of attention at the trade deadline from teams ready to insert him into the 26 man roster anyway.
Okay, rip me a new one for a dumb idea.
I came up with an idea that gives the players and the owners something they want.
After a player has spent a set number of years in the minors without any callups (the number would be more than two years), a player can declare himself a Free Agent at the end of the season. If he is not signed by another team by February 15th the next year (start of Spring Training), he remains with his team. If another team makes an offer, the player's current team has 48 hours to match the offer or lose the player.
The service time clock starts when the player is called up unless it is after September 1st, then the clock is delayed until a season when he is called up. The player would still be eligible to claim Free Agency if he meets the minimum number of minor league time.
Here is how the players get a win: the only free agents who will get offers are the guys who are ready for The Show. Otherwise, they become a very expensive gamble. This allows a Kris Bryant, for example, to play a full season at The Show if he is ready. If Bryant had declared himself a FA at the end of the season before he made his debut, he would have most likely received an offer because he was ready to move up.
Here is how the owners get a win: The players who have some really good qualities, but still need some polish will most likely stay in place or receive modest contract offers that are easy to match. The team can keep this player at AAA legitimately to develop his skills.
The Sept. 1st deadline is the key. It would be very difficult for a team to keep a stud prospect down that long who is obviously ready until it is too late to make a difference for the season. Such a prospect would get a ton of attention at the trade deadline from teams ready to insert him into the 26 man roster anyway.
Okay, rip me a new one for a dumb idea.
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