| 08 April 2010
So, uh, wow... there's been a lot of news in the last couple of days. That press conference that Bud Selig called yesterday morning sure was something else. Teams sold; relocation; division realignment; competitive balance incentives - all in one two-hour conference. I'm still shocked. Who knew that special committee Bud put together this winter would have so much power, and would be able to get so much done so quickly?
Let's look at some of these announcements that are going to forever change the face of baseball. And for the better. Thank God.
- Tampa Bay Rays sold to former major leaguer, and new GM, Peter Bergeron. Former Montreal Expo centerfielder Peter Bergeron, a 4th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996, has done Billy Beane one better, becoming the leader of the Rays' new ownership group at barely 32 years old. Bergeron has been very successful in the business world since he left baseball in 2004. As the principle investor and a man of considerable baseball knowledge, he will be handling the general manager duties himself. People close to the team say that he is very much in the Billy Beane/Theo Epstein/Andrew Friedman school of GMs. The Rays need someone like him.
- Rays relocating to the New York market. As part of the radical realignment plan that will take effect next year (details below), Major League Baseball will introduce a third team into the incredibly rich New York City metropolitan area. With the just announced sale of the Rays, and considering the questions about long-term viability that the Rays have in the St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay metro area, the decision to relocate the Rays franchise makes plenty of sense. Much like football's New York Giants and New York Jets, the team will settle in New Jersey for its home games - Harrison, New Jersey, in fact. A Major League-level stadium is expected to be ready for use next April. It is unknown if the team will take the "New York" moniker, or stick with the home town name. Until that decision is finalized, the popular name seems to be, in a nod to the young owner, the Harrison Bergerons.
(Click "Read More" to continue reading.) - Division & playoff realignment in an effort to increase competitive balance. Unlike the rest of the news Selig announced yesterday, the news about division realignment had actually leaked a bit in the last few weeks. But most considered it speculation. No one knew it would play out like this. Here's how the division structure will work:
- The six richest, most successful teams of the last fifteen years, as determined by a secret MLB formula, will play in the new two-division American League. The six teams have been announced as the: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
- The new National League will host the remaining 24 teams, divided into two three-division conferences: the Federal Conference and the Union Conference.
- Six of the twelve teams in the Federal Conference are reserved for the smallest market teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Oakland A's, Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins, and San Diego Padres. Each division in the Federal Conference will include two of these teams.
- The Union Conference will be built similarly to the Federal Conference. The six next-smallest market teams will be divided evenly among the three Union Conference divisions. These teams include: the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the new Harrison club. (It's obvious that Major League Baseball is using its own definition of "small market" to create these divisions.)
- The remaining twelve teams will be divided thusly. In the Federal Conference, you can find the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers. In the Union Conference, it will be the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Colorado Rockies.
- Playoffs will be loosely based off the NFL format. Only division winners will make the playoffs. However, the division winner with the fewest wins in the Union and Federal Conferences will receive a first-round bye, as will the two American League division winners. The remaining two Union and Federal Conference division winners will play each other that first week. The winners from each first round game will play their conference's "bye-week" team in the second round. The American League teams will also play in the second round. The two National League Conference winners will play each other in a third round, while the American League winner gets another bye. The World Series will consist of the National League champion, who has potentially played three straight rounds, facing the American League champion in a best-of-seven. All other rounds will be best-of-five.
- The playoff format is rather interesting, but it gets a few things right. First, the American/National League split ensures that one large market team will make it to the World Series every year. Second, smaller market teams have a better chance at deep playoff runs (the first round-bye teams will likely be the division winners from the smallest markets). Third, American League teams are given a well-deserved rest after playing such a tough regular-season schedule. Finally, even if the smaller market teams don't make it all the way to the World Series, the extra rounds of the playoffs will give a better, more proportional sense of accomplishment to the team's fans for a season well-played.
- New salary cap/floor and other price restrictions. This is simple: a salary cap has been established at $125 million. A salary floor has also been established, at $40 million. Any team taking in revenue greater than $250 million will need to split that revenue with the other teams on a dollar-for-dollar basis. A price floor for ticket costs has also been instituted. The minimum ticket price for each ballpark will be based off a sliding scale that takes into account metro size, stadium/parking costs, and league/division status. This is good because it keeps the Yankees from trying to artificially keep their revenues down with cheap tickets while not punishing the Royals for being in a tiny market.
- Other incentives for competitive balance. As good as the new salary cap and divisional/playoff system are, though, there are bound to be some competitive balance issues that could crop up. The commissioner's office has been granted permission to create and enforce new competitive balance rules as it sees fit. When certain clubs are routinely winning 100+ games at the expense of a few 100-loss teams year-in and year-out, it becomes important for the commissioner's office to be able to create swift change. Among the more notable incentives/disincentives already announced by Selig, are:
- Teams in the "lower-tier" divisions will be allowed to give larger contracts to their home-grown stars without it affecting their salary cap figure. Teams in the "upper-tier" divisions, or those already at 90% or greater of the salary cap, will not get this benefit.
- Teams at or near the salary cap, or those in the "upper-tier" division (regardless of team salary), will only be allowed 24 active roster slots for a game. The team's manager must inform the umpire which member of the 25-man roster is ineligible for that game before the game begins.
- In September games where the visiting team is in either third or fourth place in its division and the home team is in first or second, the visiting team will be given the right to bat last. A regulation game in this case will be 9.5 innings long. This only applies to the National League.
- The trade deadline for teams in the "lower-tier" divisions will be extended a week. However, any trades in this extended week that involve a team in the "upper-tier" divisions must be approved by the Commissioner's office. If the Commissioner does not determine that the "lower-tier" team is receiving the better player in the trade, he must veto it.
There was plenty more in the press conference yesterday, but this highlights all the important points. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, I'm sure there are plenty of other blogs/news sites out there to look at.
Personally, I think these changes are great for baseball. With the obvious advantages teams like the Yankees and Red Sox have over teams like the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, or Rays, it's been tough watching baseball these past few years. Never knowing if a team other the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, or Mets will make it to the World Series is just unfair. And forcing some teams to invest in their front office to get only three or four years' worth of contention from their players while other teams just spend their money willy-nilly is laughable. How is that a way to run a league? I'm just glad the Harrison Bergerons were able to burst on the scene so suddenly and help effect so much change. I never really wanted to say it, but Major League Baseball was like a ballet dancer trying to dance with a bag tied around its head and a chain wrapped around its ankles before Mr. Bergeron showed up. We really needed him.
To quote Bud Selig: "It was 2011, and Major League Baseball was finally equal." Beautiful words, Mr. Commissioner. I'm so glad to hear them.
