Should baseball have a salary cap?

[Cerberus]

Well I think baseball is the one sport where that does not apply. If you capped the teams, then you would take away from the tradition. They already have profit sharing setup to get the teams in smaller markets more money. Plus with the way free agency is structured, buying players is not a guarantee you will win. I think success should be rewarded. And the greatest argument against this is the Florida Marlins. Twice they have made the playoffs, twice they have won the world series. The smaller market teams have chance. It is up to them to survive on what they get.

[comfortably numb]

I grew up 4 blocks from Comiskey Park and I was going to Sox games before I was born. We could watch the fireworks they used to have after every night game from the front of the house. I'm not a big Ozzie fan, either. But I did hit Lou Pinella with a peanut in left when he was a player. Too bad it wasn't a truck?

In 1970 I was at a game in the Astrodome, and in pre-game batting practice, the pitchers were screwing around in the outfield, and a batter hit one over the fence. I scrambled to pick it up, but my Dad told me I should throw it back onto the field, so I did...and missed Earl Wilson, the pitcher, by about 1 foot!!!

[MICHAEL]

YES! Until then, like Football, I have lost all interest in baseball! We will never again have a winning team! We train them, then they go to big money, the good ones!!
I use to watch baseball, but don't waste my time anymore!! The Royals will never amount to anything!! Its all about MONEY!!!

[J Anderson]

YES! Until then, like Football, I have lost all interest in baseball! We will never again have a winning team! We train them, then they go to big money, the good ones!!
I use to watch baseball, but don't waste my time anymore!! The Royals will never amount to anything!! Its all about MONEY!!!

But wouldn't that be a form of having a handicap? Just asking, 'cause I really agree with you on this. Until MLB realizes that its not good to have the major market teams buy championships. As long as this is allowed the value of the product will continue to erode until when your great grandchildren ask "What's Baseball?" the answer will be a sport played in the Dominican Republic.

[billf]

Ummm, baseball does have a salary cap in place. The problem is teams can pay a 'tax' when they exceed the cap. I'm fairly disgusted with pro baseball players. A team drafts them, signs them, nurtures them and at the first chance many of these players leave for the big bucks. Guys like Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer sign for less to show loyalty to the team and fans. The flip side with some teams is as soon as the player's value goes up, they trade them for a handful of prospects. So why should a player sign for a million or two a year less just to get traded? It's a mess and I have no good answer to fix it.

[The German Shepherd]

There is already a luxury tax in place, right? A Salary cap would certainly help to level the playimng field, but do we really want that?

Jay (A lifelong Yankee fan and unapologetically so...)

[CrimsonEncounter]

I've always thought that MLB needed a salary cap. You look at the teams in the major markets (New York, LA) and the success they've had over the year, whereas teams like KC and Pittsburgh (small market teams) always struggle to stay out of last place. Granted, this year, the Pirates have done some good things and are going to have their first winning season this century. Teams like the Yankees and Angels are the teams that always go after the biggest free agents and then jack up ticket prices so that they can pay these overhyped prima-donnas. It's ridiculous.