Between the most recent Hall of Fame voting results and the ongoing lockout, it’s fair to say MLB is not having its happiest hour.
The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) had a deeply talented player pool that included the likes of Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, and Todd Helton, just to name a few.
Ortiz was the only one who cleared the 75 percent bar and got elected to the Hall.
Most fans have come to understand that penalizing players of the steroid era makes little sense.
But at least one-third of the voters don’t think that way, as Bonds, arguably the greatest player of all time considering era and competition, got selected in 66 percent of the ballots, roughly two-thirds.
If he couldn’t get 75 percent of voters to select him to the Hall, no player with heavy a steroids background will.
There needs to be a change in the system, and one single way to deal with the steroid era.
Otherwise, some of the best players in the game will never go in.
Voting is so broken in our country we can't even do it correctly for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
— colin (@Colin_H_ghes) January 26, 2022
Ugly Negotiations And Uncertainty About The Future
Believe it or not, the broken system to select players to the Hall of Fame is not the only major issue the league is currently dealing with.
As of right now, a baseball season in 2022 is still not guaranteed.
In a time in which teams are usually finalizing their rosters and preparing to enter spring training in February, MLB and the Players Association still haven’t been able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
What does that mean?
There is no governing document in MLB right now.
That way, games can’t be played.
In fact, as a pressure measure, owners locked players out in December, which means teams can’t sign free agents, execute trades, or even host injured players for them to rehab at the organizations’ facilities.
Teams aren’t allowed to have any communication with players until bargaining sessions prove successful.
That, at the moment, is not particularly close to happening.
Both parties are currently negotiating a pool of money and a system to compensate young major leaguers according to their performance.
Other issues such as minor league pay, an important issue from the players’ side, are not done yet.
The minimum salary for major leaguers is another issue: MLB wants something around $600,000 (they currently make $570,500), while the union wants the number to comfortably surpass $700,000.
The owners very serious proposal about for the league minimum, one of the key parts of this discussion, included the second smallest jump in the league minimum for a new CBA https://t.co/4zWOhW0QWt pic.twitter.com/YyOpwNIgZg
— Ghost of Chicken Puppet (@baseballgaloot) January 17, 2022
Service time manipulation, tanking, expanded playoffs, universal designated hitter for both leagues, and a myriad of additional subjects remain unclear at this point.
Both sides have made concessions to the other, but nothing is imminent and Spring Training is approaching.
Will There Be Baseball This Year?
Teams usually have their pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps around mid-February.
This year, the first exhibition games are scheduled for February 26.
Both could be in jeopardy if the sides don’t agree soon.
Regular season games could be compromised.
Between the Hall of Fame fiasco and the ugly negotiations for the new CBA, fans are incredibly unhappy.
They just want to be able to enjoy their favorite league, team, and players.
They should be following their club’s hot stove and rumors, not checking if owners offered this and players countered with that.
It’s not the smoothest time to be a baseball fan.
Hopefully, solutions are around the corner for both issues.
NEXT: Barry Bonds Vs. Pete Rose (Who Is The Bigger Hall Of Fame Snub?)
