2025 Trade Deadline Sepculation Thread ALL ABOARD

[Popeye_Card]

Expanded revenue sharing is the only hope MLB has to survive in it's current form. Having a salary cap is not effective when major market teams have access to revenue streams 3x-5x that of smaller market teams, simply by where they are located. Yet it is a tough ask for those major market teams to share their revenue when they paid a premium to purchase their franchise based on the revenue being larger.

Or you look at splitting the league and using a relegation system. 16 teams in the top league, 16 teams in the next tier down. 4 teams go up and 4 go down each year. It would make things way more interesting, but there's no way the owners (or players) would go for it.

[pioneer98]

Breaking this stupid regional TV model is the main thing that needs to happen. TV revenue from the regional sports networks are the main difference between large and small markets. Go to a "Netflix, but for MLB" model with zero blackouts. Have a national audience for every game by streaming every game for a monthly subscription. The whole world is used to this model by now. Even the large market teams would benefit from this in my opinion (how would having their games being televised nationally be worse than televised regionally?). And you could still have some kind of local or regional TV broadcast over cable and/or antenna. Streaming and TV aren't mutually exclusive...the only reason they seem mutually exclusive right now is because for some reason it's important to protect regional monopolies.

[Popeye_Card]

Breaking this stupid regional TV model is the main thing that needs to happen. TV revenue from the regional sports networks are the main difference between large and small markets. Go to a "Netflix, but for MLB" model with zero blackouts. Have a national audience for every game by streaming every game for a monthly subscription. The whole world is used to this model by now. Even the large market teams would benefit from this in my opinion (how would having their games being televised nationally be worse than televised regionally?). And you could still have some kind of local or regional TV broadcast over cable and/or antenna. Streaming and TV aren't mutually exclusive...the only reason they seem mutually exclusive right now is because for some reason it's important to protect regional monopolies.

They absolutely screwed the pooch on this years ago, particularly when the Yankees set up YES. There's no way the Yankees (and other similar teams) are going to give up those cash cows so that they can help out all of the franchises that are stuck in the legacy FSN hell.

Otherwise I agree. MLB.tv should become the default viewing platform for most MLB games, TV productions are funded by the league, with the revenues being shared by the league. Teams can keep their local advertising revenue portions if that helps.

[Popeye_Card]

Mods - feel free to move all of this ranting about the Cardinals and MLB to a dedicated new thread.

[heyzeus]

Mods - feel free to move all of this ranting about the Cardinals and MLB to a dedicated new thread.

DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, MAN

[cardsfantx]

Expanded revenue sharing is the only hope MLB has to survive in it's current form. Having a salary cap is not effective when major market teams have access to revenue streams 3x-5x that of smaller market teams, simply by where they are located. Yet it is a tough ask for those major market teams to share their revenue when they paid a premium to purchase their franchise based on the revenue being larger.

the other major sports do it (hell even college football shares revenue); obv the Dallas cowboys bring in WAAAAYYYY more revenue than the Jacksonville jaguars...

I've not heard one MLB owner come out against a salary cap, none of the big market teams seem to have an issue with it; why should we as fans? it's only the players that have an issue with it...

and as we've discussed in the other thread, I'm not sure why...the salary caps are tied to revenue and split 50/50 between owners and players...and with the high floor that teams have to spend up to whether they want to or not, all the players get paid MORE than they would, in compared to the current system where the rays, marlins, and I guess us now lol, do not spend crap

[Popeye_Card]

The Cowboys generate more revenue, but more on the scale of maybe 1.5x as much. TV rights is by far the economic driver of the NFL, and it is shared across all teams equally. MLB does not have that, and likely never will have that. MLB is much more driven by local advertising and ticket sales for 82 games per season. Butts-in-seats revenue isn't nearly as large of slice in the NFL with only 8 home games.

Owners would of course like a salary cap. High revenue teams get to keep more revenue. Low revenue teams can count on it curbing the price on free agent players. I don't think in any scenario would it be good for the veteran players who control the MLBPA. I just don't think it is a cure for what ails MLB.

[cardsfantx]

Owners would of course like a salary cap. High revenue teams get to keep more revenue. Low revenue teams can count on it curbing the price on free agent players. I don't think in any scenario would it be good for the veteran players who control the MLBPA. I just don't think it is a cure for what ails MLB.

how would high revenue teams get to keep more revenue? they get to keep 50% and the other 50% goes to the players...and the yankees revenue would be the same as the Rays as it shared by all teams equally...that's how salary caps work in all sports and the owners for the yankees and dodgers seem to be fine with that, as not one has come out against it?

and for low revenue teams (again with a salary cap, there are no "low revenue teams"), but for example the rays. as with other sports, they HAVE to spend 90% towards the salary cap to meet the "floor"

so if you just used a 200 mil salary cap, the rays HAVE to spend at least 180 mil on payroll

there is no scenario where the players would earn less under a salary cap system

[MrCrowesGarden]

I do think if the players called the bluff and said we’ll agree if you open the books, the owners would be less receptive to a salary cap.

[mikechamp]

Getting us back on topic, here is how ESPN "graded" all the trades:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/457 ... every-deal