There is clear discontent and concern among players at the slow development of baseball’s free agency market this offseason, and some are at least thinking about drastic measures to fix the issue.
With February just days away and many of the top free agents still on the market, there is growing concern that ownership is simply going to continue treating free agency differently, and many teams are in rebuilding mode and not looking to spend money. Some teams, most prominently the Miami Marlins, are selling off most of their valuable assets to cut payroll, which has caused concerns about how revenue sharing money is being used.
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen feels it’s unfair — and on Saturday, he dared to suggest that a work stoppage may be necessary to put things right.
“That is something we might have to address, so you don’t have a lot of Miami Marlins doing this,” Jansen said at the team’s Fanfest, via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “Maybe it’s an adjustment for us, as the players’ union. Maybe we have to go on strike, to be honest with you. That’s how I feel about it.”
The current labor agreement runs through 2021, so any strike would be some ways away, but there is obvious discontent with the economic state of the game on the players’ side.
“Maybe I could say that, for me, maybe we should go on strike and fix that,” Jansen said. “Maybe not. I think it’s a thing we maybe address that to the union. I’m not going to say that to you guys. I’m going to have that talk to the union, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”
We’re already seeing players talk about some unprecedented measures in the short-term with the way things are going. Big changes are going to have to happen — it’s inevitable at this point.
