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Originally Posted by VERVE
MLBPA really worries about if owners are trying to reduce an existing contract ex. (A-Rod trade was nixed by MLBPA to the Red Sox for paycut) and other issues such as collusions. I have never heard or read anything that is reliable that MLBPA would "force" players to sign for top dollars or else. Imagine the firestorm it would cause and MLBPA does not need that.
MLBPA cannot "pressure" any player to sign for the highest contract with a team they are not happy to play for; they do not have that authority. These players have the right to sign any new contract even if it was for less money as long there is no pay cut to existing contracts. Some would sign for a discount just to have security and or remain with their fav team. MLBPA worries about other issues such as paycuts, misrepresentations and collusions. This is not one of them.
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/texa...highest-bidder |
You do realize that the article you posted shows exactly the type of pressure I was referring to. It is obvious that the PA of these leagues isn't holding a gun to these guys heads and threatening to blackball them if they sign with the highest bidder. It's a lot more subtle than that.
That short article alone contains four references and three quotes related to Hamilton's contract affecting other players around the league. You can't honestly expect the PA to make a statement to the media like "our stance is that hometown deals are unacceptable and it's a slap in the face to every other player around the league". You have to read between the lines - these are carefully crafted statements for public consumption. The entire article was apparently about how the union is fine with Hamilton signing wherever he wants yet all the quotes talk about how it will impact other contracts. They were eerily similar to the ones in the articles I posted:
"When you're a star player negotiating a contract there's serious pressure that comes with it. While fans, friends, and family certainly count for something, the real pressure comes from the union. It's a pressure of leverage not to undervalue yourself and to make sure you're doing your part to set the bar for the next player down the line."
No one is calling Price three times a day reminding him that he has to take the highest offer or else. It's a more effective type of pressure where there's clearly a culture with-in the MLBPA that other players have made sacrifices for you in the past so now it's your turn to help out the next wave of players. For David Price, that's friends like Marcus Stroman and Chris Archer. You don't think that has any impact of his decision?
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What Fire of the Phoenix and AlpineOracle are discussing is to sign for a team you enjoy playing for and sign for a discount BEFORE hitting free agency. There's supposedly excellent players avoiding free agency altogether by signing with their current club.There are players that would sign before going into free agency with their hometown team without protracted outrageous (competitive) bids. The Jays obviously wants to spend their money else where instead of making an offer before hitting free agency.
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First off, who are these players taking hometown discounts one week before free agency?
I'd like to see some examples because I'm sure they don't exist because it's completely illogical from a player's standpoint. Like I said above, David Price and his agent saw Max Scherzer get $200 million one year ago. Any negotiation with the Jays would've had this total in mind because it was very realistic to project he would get those kinds of offers when free agency began. Why wouldn't he just wait a week and see what happens?