The tension between the players and owners hasn’t been this strong since the 1994-95 strike, the last work stoppage in Major League Baseball. The free-agent market is extremely slow for the second straight winter. More than 100 players remain on the open market with the start of spring training just 10 days away.
Some players are quietly floating the idea the owners are colluding against them.
“All the offers are the same from every team,” one veteran relief pitcher told me earlier this week on the condition of anonymity. “They’re all at the same lowball price. I understand teams try to sign players for the lowest price possible, but this has gotten ridiculous. It’s like they want us to all play for the minimum salary.
“I understand we make a lot of money and I don’t want to come across as whining, but it’s a little frustrating when you can’t even get close to what you feel is a fair deal.”
Jameson Taillon is the Pirates’ player representative to the Major League Baseball Players Association. While he can’t be described as a militant union man, the lack of activity with free agents bothers him.
“I know no one is going to feel sorry for us because we make a lot of money, which I respect, but it’s hard to see veteran players getting kicked to the curb,” Taillon said last weekend during PiratesFest at PNC Park. “Guys have worked hard for a long time to get into that position.”
Taillon also plays for one of the most frugal franchises in baseball. The Pirates, according to research by DKPittsburghSports.com, have a projected opening day payroll of $71 million. That is the second lowest in the majors to the Rays’ $60 million.
“I’d like us to be in on everybody,” Taillon said. “I also know that’s not going to happen here.”
It was suggested that younger players such as Taillon, who won’t become a free agent until after the 2022 season, might be wise to sign long-term contracts now to avoid possibly being shut out on the open market in the future.
However, Taillon said more younger players and their agents are leaning toward taking things year by year through the arbitration process rather than sign multi-year deals that are friendly to the team.
If that is indeed the case, it could make for an interesting time for the Pirates next winter. In addition to Taillon, five other players will be arbitration eligible for the first time: Josh Bell, Elias Diaz, Adam Frazier, Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams. They will all get significant raises after making somewhere around the minimum salary of $555,000 this upcoming season.
Furthermore, Keone Kela and Michael Feliz will also be eligible to go through the arbitration process again. Kela will make $3.175 million this year and Feliz has an $850,000 salary. -- John Perrotto at Highmark Stadium
MORE PIRATES
• Starling Marte was thrilled to see outfield mate Corey Dickerson win his first career Gold Glove at the end of last season. “He put in a lot of hard work,” said Marte, a two-time Gold Glove winner. Marte also believes another Pirates outfielder, Gregory Polanco, has the tools to win a Gold Glove. “He’s exciting to watch throw and he can cover a lot of ground with those long legs,” Marte said. -- Perrotto
• It is easy to criticize the Pirates for signing reliever Brandon Maurer to a minor-league contract in light of his 7.76 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in 37 games with the Royals last season. However, there are two statistical indicators that give the Pirates hope Maurer can be a worthwhile low-cost reclamation project. His fastball still averaged 96 mph in 2018 and he had a solid swinging-strike rate of 10.2 percent. -- Perrotto
• The Pirates made an interesting signing this week when they agreed to terms with right-hander Vincente Campos on a minor league deal. The 26-year-old won't be in major league camp but was once a prospect of note. He started one game for the Diamondbacks in 2016 before being beset by arm problems the last two seasons and winding up in independent ball. Campos had a solid winter ball showing in his native Venezuela, posting a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings of relief. -- Perrotto
• The Pirates gave no consideration to signing shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria in free agency. The seven-year veteran spent most of last August with the Pirates, being acquired from the Rays in a waiver trade then basically handed to the Yankees for nothing. The Pirates were disappointed with Hechavarria’s attitude during his brief stay and felt he did not want any part of playing for them. -- Perrotto
PENGUINS
• One of the more intriguing things to come out of All-Star Weekend in San Jose was the unveiling of the NHL's new puck and player tracking system. Why the league felt it important to introduce it during a sleep-inducing exhibition played at 3/4 speed, at best, is another matter. However, there is vast potential for the technology to enhance TV broadcasts and, perhaps more importantly, to increase sports gambling revenue. But there is also the potential the information gathered could be used in contract negotiations and in arbitration hearings. Let's say Player A has slowed down one mile per hour since the start of last season. Why wouldn't any team hold that against Player A as he seeks a contract extension? However, a league official insisted it won't happen, though he gave no legal proof to back up that claim. The league official then added it's been his experience more information could only benefit players. When I relayed that nugget to one Penguins veteran, the reaction was a less-than-impressed: "Yeah, right. I highly doubt it. Highly." Furthermore, the player doubted the accuracy of the tracking and what relevant information could be gleaned from it. "It'll probably help some guys, it'll hurt others," he said. -- Chris Bradford
• After making changes last March to the review of goaltender interference -- the play in question is now looked at by the league's war room by select former referees in Toronto and not in the hands of on-ice officials -- the NHL is quite pleased with how it has worked out. A league official told me in San Jose the new process has taken away the ambiguity of the penalty and there is zero appetite to make any further changes to goalie interference reviews. Something tells me Matt Murray and quite a few goalies might disagree. -- Bradford
• Derick Brassard's illegal hit on New Jersey's Sami Vatanen earned him a five-minute major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct. Brassard, who is at the epicenter of trade speculation for the second straight year, was fortunate he didn't earn further supplementary discipline by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. But it also didn't sit well with at least one of his teammates. The penalty occurred with the Penguins trailing 4-1 midway through the third period of a game already decided. Had a Penguins star player got hit and bloodied on a similar hit, the reaction would have been massive, the player said. The Penguins play the Devils again Feb. 19 in Newark. -- Bradford
• In the span of just under a year, the Penguins have jettisoned Ryan Reaves, Ian Cole and now Jamie Oleksiak. That's not just a lot of size and physical toughness, that's a whole lot of character that went with them. While none of the above were all-stars by any stretch, all brought intangibles that are difficult -- if not impossible -- to quantify, and their absences are felt. -- Bradford
STEELERS
• According to the NFLPA, the Steelers are rolling over $18.2 million in unused cap space from 2018 over into their 2019 salary cap. That might seem like a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the $56.5 million the Browns are rolling over or the $49.1 million the Colts are rolling over. Of course, $14.5 million of that money the Steelers have available to roll over is from salary not paid to Le'Veon Bell. That leaves the Steelers with approximately $20.5 million in cap space with only $245,000 in dead money -- money on the books for players who have been released or traded. That dead money amount would go up considerably if/when the Steelers trade Antonio Brown, even though their available cap space will grow. Even so, there are 14 teams who will enter the offseason with more than twice as much available cap space as the Steelers. Seven teams have three times as much available space or more. So no, the Steelers aren't going to go hog wild in free agency this offseason. But I am told they will be active, at least more so than in previous years. -- Dale Lolley at Rooney Complex
• Everyone seems to be working under the assumption the Steelers aren't going to address some of the issues that led to their current situation with Brown, ie. giving him the star treatment and allowing him to live by a different set of rules than others. But getting rid of Brown most certainly sends a message to the rest of the team that things are changing. Brown was given such leeway because he always showed up on game days and performed at a high level. But telling Brown he couldn't play in a very meaningful regular season finale and then shipping him out of town -- whether it comes at the receiver's behest or not -- sends a pretty big message that things are changing. It certainly makes it easier to rein in any other players who might be inclined to see how far they can push things. If Mike Tomlin is willing to sit Brown in a must-win game and then trade him, he can easily do so with anyone else. -- Lolley
• Reining things in doesn't just fall on ownership. It doesn't just fall on the head coach. It falls on the players, as well. The veteran leaders on this team have to take a more vocal role in addressing issues. One of those leaders, Cam Heyward, understands that. "We went through a lot this year. We handled some better than others. We learn and move on. I just want another opportunity," Heyward told me at the Pro Bowl last week in Orlando. If you have any doubts the players will take a more vocal role, witness Heyward's Tweet from last week:
Leadership questioned.... challenge accepted and look forward 2019. Can’t wait to get back to the lab. pic.twitter.com/U5VT6tcpma
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) January 27, 2019
-- Lolley
• Many have wondered what Ben Roethlisberger's numbers were like throwing to Brown this season. Well, I broke it down. Roethlisberger was 102 of 161 targeting Brown for 1,294 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That's a passer rating of 93.5. He was 109 for 157 targeting JuJu Smith-Schuster for 1,349 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, a passer rating of 100.0. His best success came throwing to Jaylen Samuels. Roethlisberger had just one incompletion this season when targeting the rookie running back, posting a passer rating of 136.1. -- Lolley