Why the NBA/MLB should have teams contracted
Kevin Lewis
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Impact Staff Blogs
Look at the Minnesota Twins, and how they traded away Johan Santana. Who did they get in return? A slap hitting, undisciplined, raw center fielder and a bag of balls. Why would you trade one of the top five pitchers in the sport for that? Why not keep him and actually try and put a winning product around him?
I'm a Yankees fan, so obviously my team has reaped the benefits over the years of some salary dumps (recently, Xavier Nady comes to mind). I'm not one of those who just goes 'Go Yankees, rah rah rah' when they are doing well with no thought to the actual integrity of the game, and the business and strategic side to it. I read an article last week citing that the Twins might be willing to open the vault and sign Joe Mauer to a 10 year, 200+ million dollar and I was genuinely happy. I want to see the small market teams do whatever it takes to remain competitive. Though the Twins will never be World Series contenders as currently constructed, having Mauer and Morneau makes them a relevant team.
I have no particular plan in mind for contracting the NBA or MLB, but it's just my opinion that something needs to be done. I say you contract some teams, then have an expansion draft featuring the players on those teams. Does this make both sports more top heavy than they already are? Without a doubt. But it also adds the possibility of what we rarely ever see these days, a dynasty. At the same time, multiple teams can benefit from this, and it adds an excitement while eliminating teams who for the most part are in it for the business and the money aspect of it.
I think this is more prevalent in baseball as you have teams like the A's, Pirates, and Nationals among others.
A hard salary cap can also help in both of these sports, as for the most part, you don't see this kind of "dumping" in the NFL. Everyone is on even ground, as opposed to baseball or basketball, it's who has the deepest pockets. Sometimes the spending a boatload of money works (Yankees), and sometimes it doesn't (Knicks), but having these teams who develop players then give them away as soon as it comes time to pay them is a detriment to the sport more than a positive.
I'm a Yankees fan, so obviously my team has reaped the benefits over the years of some salary dumps (recently, Xavier Nady comes to mind). I'm not one of those who just goes 'Go Yankees, rah rah rah' when they are doing well with no thought to the actual integrity of the game, and the business and strategic side to it. I read an article last week citing that the Twins might be willing to open the vault and sign Joe Mauer to a 10 year, 200+ million dollar and I was genuinely happy. I want to see the small market teams do whatever it takes to remain competitive. Though the Twins will never be World Series contenders as currently constructed, having Mauer and Morneau makes them a relevant team.
I have no particular plan in mind for contracting the NBA or MLB, but it's just my opinion that something needs to be done. I say you contract some teams, then have an expansion draft featuring the players on those teams. Does this make both sports more top heavy than they already are? Without a doubt. But it also adds the possibility of what we rarely ever see these days, a dynasty. At the same time, multiple teams can benefit from this, and it adds an excitement while eliminating teams who for the most part are in it for the business and the money aspect of it.
I think this is more prevalent in baseball as you have teams like the A's, Pirates, and Nationals among others.
A hard salary cap can also help in both of these sports, as for the most part, you don't see this kind of "dumping" in the NFL. Everyone is on even ground, as opposed to baseball or basketball, it's who has the deepest pockets. Sometimes the spending a boatload of money works (Yankees), and sometimes it doesn't (Knicks), but having these teams who develop players then give them away as soon as it comes time to pay them is a detriment to the sport more than a positive.
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