Regarding an MLB salary floor
One, we really do believe in markets. Obviously, there are some restrictions on markets in our collective bargaining agreement. But our thought has been that, if a club legitimately trying to compete has a plan that calls for them to be at a particularly low payroll for a given year as part of a longer-range plan to compete, then management should have that flexibility. Clubs have done a great job in Major League Baseball at the local level of generating revenue, and we really didn’t want to do anything to interfere with that.
This is essentially my main argument against a salary cap/salary floor system. A team that is in a rebuilding situation, much like the Pirates, can benefit from having a low payroll. The Pirates’ roster is currently made up of mostly 0-3 players, players that make close to the league minimum. Hopefully, as the team develops in the next 3-5 years, many of those players will improve to the point that they will become quite costly. If the Pirates become a contending team in the next few years, it will be very difficult to keep Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata and Brad Lincoln and Lastings Milledge and Charlie Morton as they approach arbitration and free agency. It will be even more difficult if management is forced to pour unnecessary money into the major league payroll in 2010 and 2011, simply to meet a predetermined salary threshold. Not only will it be wasted resources, it could also prevent the team from making wise baseball decisions. What if the Pirates were forced to release Lastings Milledge this offseason and replace him with an inflated salary for someone like Rick Ankiel, just to increase payroll?
There is no doubt that payroll disparity is a major issue in baseball right now. But adding a salary floor (and a salary cap) would cause more harm than good.
By the way, this is what I wrote back in February.
The team is rebuilding. Consequently, management is spending little at the major league level while pouring resources into the draft, player development, and international scouting. If the Pirates were forced to add another $20 million or so to the major league payroll, the rebuilding process would suffer greatly. For one, it would take resources away from areas that are much more important right now. In addition, it would force the team to add free agents that may not fit with the current roster and/or long-term plan, simply to meet the payroll requirement. In essence, it removes financial flexibility from the type of franchise that needs that flexibility the most.
Digging through the bargain bin
Disclaimer: For most of these players, I would be fine with a minor league deal. For our purposes, I am going to look at the possibility of using a roster spot on each player.
Duchsherer would be a nice addition to the rotation at the right price, but I would not break the bank for him. He is 32, an injury risk, and has just one year as a productive starter under his belt. He would make the Pirates a slightly stronger team, but acquiring a mid-rotation starter through free agency is usually an inefficient use of resources. Duchscherer’s 2010 projections are pretty solid, but am not convinced that he will outperform someone like Daniel McCutchen by a very large margin.
Almost 35 years old. Career 4.97 K/9 and 4.46 BB/9. No thanks.
Lowry has not pitched in two years, and he was not very good in 2006 or 2007 either. I see no reason why he would be any better than the Pirates’ internal options.
I am not very interested in adding relievers through free agency. Putz could be an interesting buy-low candidate, but I am sure another team will overpay him.
Loe was a fifth starter type with the Rangers a few years back. He pitched in Japan last season, so he could be signed cheap. That is the only way I would consider him.
After hitting .330/.383/.535 in 360 plate appearances with the Pirates in 2008, Nady dropped to .268/.320/.474 over the remainder of the season with the Yankees. That is awfully close to his career line of .280/.335/.458, which is the best I would expect from him in the future. I would not mind adding him as a bench player, but he should not be taking significant at-bats from anyone else. If Nady is willing to be an MLB bench player, I doubt he would want to do it in Pittsburgh.
No.
Crosby is an above average fielder, but he is a terrible hitter. He is still reaping the benefit of his Rookie of the Year award back in 2004. He is a utility player at best.
I am literally boring myself while writing this.
The projections don’t seem to like Ankiel, and neither do I. I think the Pirates could match his production with an internal option, and do it much more inexpensively. Ankiel is another guy that would make some sense as a bench player or a contingency plan in case players such as Lastings Milledge or Garrett Jones fall apart. As a guaranteed starter, though, he is simply not that enticing to me. There are simply better options.
I doubt the Pirates will give any of these players any significant amount of money. At least, I hope they wouldn’t. However, I am not sure how many of these players I would even want for free.
