Question Sports
Do you think baseball would benefit from a salary cap?
swim2bgood November 05, 2009 20:50:10
- 9 answers
- Read all 29 comments
The New York Yankees have won their 27th World Championship and rightfully so as they have baseballs top payroll. Some Yankee fans may say that money does not win championships but it is obvious that if you have the highest payroll it is because you are paying for the best players. Another argument may be that other teams can spend more money as well in order to make their team better but the other team owners are just too cheap to do so. However, if you should investigate it further, baseball is a business and the goal of a business is to make a profit. In the current system, it is difficult to increase the fan base. The Yankees are from New York City, the largest city in America and thus have the biggest pool of fans locally. Their history and continuous winning has gained them many fans around the country and thus a larger fan base. The bottom line is, he more fans, the more merchandise purchased, and thus increased profit. Other teams cannot do this. If they spend more money on players, they may not make a profit. Baseball has decreased greatly in popularity and football has become America's most popular sport. (Officially NASCAR is but it cannot be compared). Football has a salary cap, thus each team is only able to spend a certain amount of money. The salary cap puts football teams on an even playing field and thus anything can happen. Each team has an equal chance of winning and makes the game that much more exciting. Perhaps baseball hould do the same and become America's favorite sport once again.
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What the Yankees do is no different than what other big market teams do. They spend for vets to compliment homegrown talent, or to makeup for areas in which the team is developmentally lacking. The Yankees issue is that the massively over pay to bring top talent in. Their current payroll is somewhat of a misnomer because they could have had Texiera or A Rod or CC Sabathia for a lower price tag. They over spend for expensive players. And this has been a detriment to them because they often target talent past their prime to lavish big and lengthy contracts on - Johnny Damon shouldn't be making as much as he is. They even reward tenured talent with over priced contracts. Jeter is great but I don't think he deserves the size of his payroll. So I don't see them doing anything different then say the Red Sox or Mets, they get the same quality players but massively over ...
What the Yankees do is no different than what other big market teams do. They spend for vets to compliment homegrown talent, or to makeup for areas in which the team is developmentally lacking. The Yankees issue is that the massively over pay to bring top talent in. Their current payroll is somewhat of a misnomer because they could have had Texiera or A Rod or CC Sabathia for a lower price tag. They over spend for expensive players. And this has been a detriment to them because they often target talent past their prime to lavish big and lengthy contracts on - Johnny Damon shouldn't be making as much as he is. They even reward tenured talent with over priced contracts. Jeter is great but I don't think he deserves the size of his payroll. So I don't see them doing anything different then say the Red Sox or Mets, they get the same quality players but massively over priced.
But no one really wants to realize that the Yankees are hardly baseballs villain. The Yankees reinvest a lot of the money they earn. A lot of owners earn their money and don't spend to retain key players - Royals, Pirates, etc. Meanwhile other mid to small market teams do reinvest in their teams and are successful - Cardinals, Braves. It's hard to pity teams like the Pirates who do have a tenured and solid history and fan base to work from yet fail to provide a business model that seeks winning. These teams that fail don't always suffer from a funding gap as they suffer from an effort gap.
Someone explain to me the Twins, a team who annually spends in the 70s of millions yet is often in contention for the Division and routinely shows up in the playoffs.
At most the Yankees money helps them get a seat at the playoff table, but it cant buy a championship. The Mets and Cubs illustrate that fact.
The soft cap should continue and the number of Divisions should be changed. With 6 divisions of teams ranging from 4 to 6, its easier for a team to "buy" a playoff spot. If the Yankees were in a division with more competition, say the Red Sox AND the Tigers AND the Twins - then there would be more competition and less effect from the almighty dollar.
And of course part of the problem is the fact that we have 30 teams these days, dilluting the talent poll. That would make it easier for teams with more money to snap up talented players. If there are only so many roster spots to go around, then its different.
No. A salary cap would ruin baseball. It has been this way forever and should remain this way. There is no need to change America's pastime!
If the Yankees can only spend 100 million on players, then they aren't going to give someone like A Rod 25 million to play. Its as simple as that. Its passive capping.
Yes baseball should have a salary cap because it would make for more exciting and even gameplay. And we don't have to hear about the Yankees winning practically every year!
When you hire someone to do work at your house, as just one example, wouldn't you try to hire the best person for the job?
No. A salary cap would ruin baseball. It has been this way forever and should remain this way. There is no need to change America's pastime!