As of this moment, Major League Baseball is in the midst of a lockout. It’s the ninth iteration of such and the first time in 26 years we have seen it.
“Despite the league’s best efforts to make a deal with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26 year-long history of labor peace and come to an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in a prepared statement. “Therefore, we have been forced to commence a lockout of Major League players, effective at 12:01 am ET on December 2.”
And like the last one, most fans cannot grasp why billionaires and millionaires can’t peacefully co-exist and thank their lucky stars that both make an astronomical amount of money off of the working class who ultimately foot the bill.
Of course, much of the money is derived from corporate sponsors and advertising revenue that keep the financial wheels greased but those corporations only exist because the average joe buys its products. And let’s also consider that the fans are the straw that stirs the drink due to the live gate, concessions, parking, merchandise, and all of the other ancillary revenue streams derived from direct purchases which account for a tidy sum as well.
Naturally, the Major League Baseball Players Association has a completely different perspective on this latest lockout by the owners which was reflected in this prepared statement by the MLBPA, “It was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure Players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not Just Players, but the game and industry as a whole. These tactics are not new. We have been here before, and Players have risen to the occasion time and again — guided by a solidarity that has been forged over generations. We will do so again here.
“We remain determined to return to the field under the terms of a negotiated collective bargaining agreement that is fair to all parties, and provides fans with the best version of the game we all love.”
But right now, the owners and players can’t come to terms on their next collective bargaining agreement so here we are. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be baseball next season as the 2022 MLB odds are still being offered by all of the best online sportsbooks. And surprising or not, the reigning World Series champs, the Atlanta Braves, are not at the top of the oddsmakers’ pecking order.
If you were to bet a 2022 Major League Baseball future in mid-December, you would see the following top 12 choices listed as follows: Los Angeles Dodgers +500, Houston Astros +700, Atlanta Braves +900, New York Yankees +1000, Chicago White Sox +1200, Tampa Bay Rays +1200, San Diego Padres +1400, Milwaukee Brewers +1500, Boston Red Sox +1600, Toronto Blue Jays +1600, San Francisco Giants +1600, and New York Mets +2000.
Hot Stove Happenings
Shortly before the lockout, there was a bevy of activity but no team did more to improve itself than the Texas Rangers. Although Texas ended with one of the worst records in Major League Baseball and resided in the basement of the AL West with a 60-102 record last year, their stunning signings in the offseason virtually guarantees they will move out of the cellar and maybe even into the penthouse of the division.
The most seismic move came when the Rangers tendered a 10-year, $325 million contract to former Dodgers’ shortstop, Corey Seager. They also inked infielder Marcus Semien to a seven-year, $175 million deal before signing pitcher John Gray to a four-year pact at $14 million per annum.
But the New York Mets also got into the free-agent act when they brought outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, as well as infielder Eduardo Escobar, to the Lone Star State. But that wasn’t all because they opened up the vault to bring in one of the most lethal pitchers in the league, Max Scherzer, by giving him a whopping $130 million over three years.
Granted, Scherzer is getting long in the tooth at age 37 but he was still throwing gas last year after he was traded to the Dodgers and went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP over his 11 regular-season games with LA.
The last noteworthy signing thus far is watching the happy ending to the Robbie Ray story. As you may know, Ray has always been a serviceable pitcher, a No. 3 guy in the rotation with one notable exception in the 2017 season when he flashed a 15-5 record with a 2.89 ERA over 28 starts. But last year he took a one-year, prove-it-deal with the Jays after a subpar season between Arizona and Toronto in 2020.
And prove it he did as he dazzled with a 13-7 record, a 2.84 ERA over 32 starts, and 193 innings. Oh, and he brought home an AL Cy Young Award to boot. The Seattle Mariners extended a five-year, $115 million deal to show their appreciation for his 2021 efforts and Ray will now be plying his trade in the Emerald City.
