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District On Deck

Washington Nationals: Payroll battles a lose-lose for MLB

By Ron Juckett

HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 19: Agent Scott Boras speaks with the media after the Houston Astros signed first overall draft pick Mark Appel to the team prior to the start of the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on June 19, 2013 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 19: Agent Scott Boras speaks with the media after the Houston Astros signed first overall draft pick Mark Appel to the team prior to the start of the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on June 19, 2013 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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A battle between bad owners and agents has broken baseball’s financial system and put the Washington Nationals in a spot where they cannot win.

The Washington Nationals find themselves in a battle they cannot win.

No, this is not the playoffs or who will catch come April. Bryce Harper’s future is not the issue, at least directly, here. Who is the fifth starter is not a losing proposition either, but everything above boils down to money. How much can the Nats spend and how is the smartest way to share it?

As you know, the off-season has been glacial in terms of player movement and free agency. Every day Jake Arrieta remains on the market, we field a question on social media asking why the Nats remain uninterested. One can never find the right answer.

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Washington’s competitive tax payroll exceeds the $197 million threshold set under last year’s new collective bargaining agreement. The Lerner family—to their credit—says it is okay to spend more provided Washington can compete for a championship while protecting the future.

Any team arguing over a catcher and fifth starter as their major problems is doing fine. Hop on I-95 to Miami and you see a different problem. Those pesky Marlins, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, carry a tax payroll of $106 million. They are $90.8 million under the cap.

The Philadelphia Phillies are $112.2 million under the cap. Atlanta is $72.6 million short and the New York Mets are $46 million to the good. When added together, you get roughly $300 million in cap flexibility in the division.

How is this good for baseball? Twelve teams carry a tax payroll under $125 million. Five exceed $175. The answer is, it is not good for the game.

Bad ownership and baseball go back since the start of the game. Teams either refuse to spend and field teams on the cheap—remember, this is why the Nats are in Washington—or they binge on bad contracts and fail. It happens.

With free agency, and past data, agents have a harder time each year convincing owners to take bigger risks. This is not new, but those in front offices understand the implications of making questionable deals. Is Arrieta worth $20 million a season? Yes, but not for five years.

The stumbling block comes here. Teams understand their financial limits. Some, like Washington, understand throwing money at roster construction guarantees nothing. Other teams refuse to spend money they have. When you mix those franchises who do not care with agents thinking it is 1996, we have a problem.

Who in their right mind would sign Eric Hosmer to an eight-year deal? No one.

So, Washington is punished while other teams refuse to spend. Ownership fighting with itself is the main cause of any sports work stoppage and will end them. Ask Albert Belle.

Today, players are squeezed by their agents as much as they are by owners. Yes, tanking needs a fix. But, you get the sense that some players serve their agents instead of the other way around. To keep things within check that needs addressing too.

Next: 5 2018 X-Factors

Until all sides want to change, teams like the Nats get squeezed. They do things right and literally pay an extra price.

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