I've become somewhat disillusioned with the lack of a salary cap in baseball.
On one hand, I enjoy baseball being the one team sport in which the cap doesn't exist. On the other hand, I'm tired of teams like the Yankees going out and snatching every available free agent they covet.
As I pondered this injustice, I thought about a radical idea for Major League Baseball. Instead of a salary cap, why not force teams to play with homegrown talent?
Forcing teams to play with home grown talent levels the playing field for teams like Tampa Bay, Florida and Oakland.
In this scenario, each team has a 25-man roster. Of those 25 players, 22 of those players must be homegrown players. Hence, each team can only sign three free agents on the team. If a team wants to acquire another player, the team would have to trade or outright release one of the free-agent acquisitions.
The exception to the rule will be minor league deals. If a team signs a couple of players to minor league deals during spring training and they make the team, the players will not count against the ball club as free-agent signings.
The same goes for players in the Rule 5 draft.
As for the definition of "homegrown," baseball could come up with their own term. Teams will trade a veteran for a young prospect. Baseball might say a player with under 100 plate appearances in the majors will be considered a homegrown talent. A pitcher cannot exceed more than 20 big league games to be considered homegrown.
Ball clubs will lose draft picks for signing a player to a contract worth a certain amount. The team will not lose a pick if the difference in offers does not exceed $15 million. Please note the rule should be applied to contracts worth a minimum of $50 million.
Let's use the Albert Pujols situation as an example.
The Cardinals and Pujols have broken off talks, and it appears Pujols is heading to free agency. Vultures like the Yankees and Red Sox will try every trick in the book to convince him to leave St. Louis.
Let's say the Cardinals offer an eight-year contract worth $230 million, but the Red Sox offer eight years worth $260 million. However, the Yankees top them all and offer nine years, $300 million.
If Pujols takes the contract from either Boston or New York, they will be forced to relinquish picks in the first five rounds to the Cardinals because they exceeded $15 million past the Cardinals' offer.
This idea creates an even level playing field for everyone in the game. The top teams will be forced to think twice about free agency and not sign everyone in sight.
With only three slots, teams will have to use free agency wisely, and put a greater emphasis on the amateur draft each June.
I remember watching a program with Peter Gammons on the MLB network. He said the draft is different for each team. He stated a team like Pittsburgh would have to strike gold whereas a team like the Yankees didn't necessarily have to land a big-time pick with their financial resources.
Look, I'm not hating on teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox. It's nice to see organizations caring enough about the team and doing what it takes to win (unlike the Cleveland Indians and their frugal efforts). Nevertheless, it's sad to see an organization like the Rays lose the likes of Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, Rafael Soriano and Dan Wheeler simply because a large number of fans in the city refuse to support the team.
It's never a good sign when a playoff team has to beg fans to come out and support the team.
For the record, I respect the way the Rays drafted players since their inaugural season in 1998. They scouted well and drafted the right players. The young players took their lumps for a number of seasons. But once the players matured, they brought in the likes of Soriano, Wheeler and other veterans to lend a hand.
We witnessed their success the past three seasons. They were a team with a nice blend of home grown talent and free agency.
It's important to note not all organizations are thrifty and try to win at the absolute lowest payroll possible. Take a glance at the roster of the Cleveland Indians roster and you'll see their organization is downright frugal.
They've signed two guys to major league contracts this offseason.
Outfielder Austin Kearns was signed to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million plus incentives. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera was signed to a one-year deal worth $1 million. I've spent the entire offseason questioning the entire organization from ground up.
This radical idea will provide a balance between the haves (the Yankees) and have nots (Cleveland).
Maybe, just maybe, we'll see a meaningful, relevant free agent land somewhere other than New York, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles.
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