We're headed for a baseball work stoppage. Only question is WHEN...

I have a baseball-historian friend who reads this blog and often contributes.  Said friend is certain we are back in the Collusion Era.

No reason to believe that my friend is wrong here, especially when you see that it is February, we are maybe 3 weeks or so from pitchers and catchers, and the hot stove is more like an icebox this year, sans a few people moving to the chosen teams and rivals of the Dodgers in the NL West.

Now, according to ESPN, Brodie Van Wagenen (a prominent MLB agent, with Creative Artists Agency) is proposing that the players may go on a spring training boycott as the first action against this slow market and deliberate means by teams like Derek 2eter's "Project Wolverines" in Miami to reduce payroll...

From the ESPN article:

"There is a rising tide among players for radical change," Van Wagenen said in a Twitter post Friday. "A fight is brewing. And it may begin with one, maybe two, and perhaps 1,200 willing to follow. A boycott of spring training may be a starting point, if behavior doesn't change.

"Bottom line, the players are upset. No, they are outraged. Players in the midst of long-term contracts are as frustrated as those still seeking employment. Their voices are getting louder and they are uniting in a way not seen since 1994."

I'll tell you what, players:  If you do decide to walk, do so with ESPN as well.  Yes, the owners ARE openly colluding.  I'd be interested in to seeing, if I had $3 billion or so to make up a team, what kind of team I'd have with just guys not getting money in the market this year...

My friend points out another fact that is probably upsetting the players:  Deadspin reported numbers which indicate the owner-player split in baseball of baseball revenues is now past 60-40 to the owners!!

The writer of the article (Emma Baccelieri) made a graph of league revenue from Forbes vs. player's salaries from Cot's Contracts.

When the current luxury tax system started (2002), players got about 56% of league revenues.

By 2007, 42%.  It's been 40% or below the last five seasons.

By contrast, Baccelieri points out the NBA's CBA requires 49-51%, the NFL47-48%.

I mean, is it any wonder that national outlets like ESPN are openly telling teams to cut payroll, increase profits, and throw in the towel???

We're getting a work stoppage.  Only question is how much longer the players want to take this crap.