The Major League Baseball Players Association has been stewing all offseason while free agents, high-profile or not, remain unsigned, even as spring training has commenced. The MLBPA found a target for its frustration.
A grievance has been filed by the MLBPA against four teams — the A’s, Marlins, Pirates and Rays — and the claim is simple: The MLBPA accuses the teams of not spending the revenue-sharing money they receive appropriately, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Proving that claim would be far from simple.
The collective bargaining agreement states teams must use any revenue-sharing money to improve the on-field product. That doesn’t mean it has to be funneled directly into the major league payroll.
These four teams are obvious targets for the MLBPA’s unrest. The Marlins, Pirates and Rays all have traded star players this offseason. Derek Jeter’s Marlins have traded Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon to slash the payroll below $100 million. The Pirates traded Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole. The Rays dealt Evan Longoria early in the offseason, then shed more salary by moving Corey Dickerson, Stephen Souza and Jake Odorizzi just as camp was starting. If the Marlins don’t make more moves to cut payroll, the A’s likely would have the lowest in the majors in 2018, but all four of these teams could end up in the bottom five or six.
“We have received the grievance and believe it has no merit,” MLB told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement.
Representatives from the Rays and Pirates expanded a bit more in their reactions.
“The MLBPA’s grievance against the Pirates is patently baseless,” Pirates president Frank Coonelly said. “We look forward to demonstrating as much to the Arbitrator if the MLBPA continues to pursue this meritless claim. As indicated when the MLBPA first expressed its ‘concern’ in a press release, the Pirates have always invested its revenue sharing receipts in a manner entirely consistent with the Basic Agreement. As previously indicated, our revenue sharing receipts have decreased for seven consecutive seasons while our Major League payroll has more than doubled over this same period. Our revenue sharing receipts are now just a fraction of what we spend on Major League payroll.
“We also have made significant investments in scouting, signing amateur players, our player development system and our baseball facilities. It is regrettable and that the MLBPA would react to a free agent market that is apparently not to its liking by filing a frivolous grievance against a Club that has continued to invest heavily in all areas of its Baseball Operations notwithstanding steadily diminishing revenue sharing receipts.”
Rays owner Stuart Sternberg told the Times he was “genuinely surprised” by the move.
“We’ve run our organization in a very open, transparent fashion since the day I’ve come in and try to prepare people for what we’re doing,” Sternberg said. “I don’t know what happens from here. It’s uncharted territory for me, and I would imagine the other teams as well. But if it wants to be explored, or needs to be explored, I don’t get it. How’s that?”
In the years before the most recent CBA was ratified, the Pirates and Rays were among the league leaders in spending on amateur talent, both in the draft and in Latin America. For example, the Pirates gave Josh Bell a record $5 million signing bonus when he was a second-round pick in the 2011 draft. The most recent CBA has put caps and restrictions on spending on those areas, which makes it tougher for small-market clubs to find advantages against franchises with much larger resources.
Revenue sharing is supposed to help, and the MLBPA believes these four teams aren’t complying with what that money was intended for.