Tanking has been a hot-button issue across several major sports leagues in recent years, and Major League Baseball has reportedly joined the fray in its concern that some teams aren't doing everything they can to field a winning product.
According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the topic was brought up during January's MLB owners meetings in Coral Gables, Florida, although no steps have been taken to combat the potential problem thus far.
However, per Olney, an ownership source believes measures could be taken against tanking in the near future in the new collective bargaining agreement, with the current CBA expiring in December.
"It'll probably be addressed in some way in the collective bargaining agreement," the source said.
According to Olney, the Houston Astros are the driving force behind tanking discussions, as they owned the first overall pick in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 MLB drafts after three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
Shortstop Carlos Correa—who was the top pick in the 2012 draft—was a huge part of the turnaround that helped Houston reach the playoffs in 2015, but 2013 top pick Mark Appel was traded and never made an impact for the Astros, while 2014 No. 1 selection Brady Aiken didn't sign with the organization.
Tanking also has advantages in terms of providing the worst teams with more draft dollars, which makes it more likely that they can sign prospects who are looking for lofty contracts.
Per Olney, one anonymous evaluator believes changing that system could go a long way toward curbing tanking.
"The difference between choosing first and choosing fifth or sixth is enormous," the evaluator said. "It's massive. So if you reduce the [dollar] gap, you reduce the incentive to pick higher in the draft."
Since it can take years for even the most highly touted draft picks to make an impact in baseball, tanking usually isn't at the forefront as much as it is in the NFL, NBA and NHL.
The Philadelphia 76ers are the NBA's tanking poster child, as they won fewer than 20 games in each of the past two seasons and are just 7-41 currently.
In the NHL, some believe the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres tanked last season to earn the right to select generational talents Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, respectively.
For teams that aren't good enough to realistically vie for a playoff spot, there is an advantage to tanking in most major sports.
Even though the NBA and NHL hold draft lotteries that don't guarantee that the worst teams get the top pick, landing the best percentage to earn the top pick still makes tanking worth it for some organizations.
Stopping that in baseball or almost any other sport is a tall order, save for the adoption of a relegation system similar to European soccer, but based on the structure of American sports, that simply won't happen.
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