OT Thoughts on retraction?

[RevSader]

I know this will never happen, but I have thought about it more and more recently for some reason.

I know the goal is to grow the sport of baseball, but I often feel that retraction would do the sport a great deal of good. Does baseball really need 30 teams to be a good product? I would love to see four teams be retracted from every sports league in the US.

There would have to be huge summits on marketability and and which teams should be retracted. Ultimately i think there a few markets that just don't need a team or their track record has proven they don't deserve a team.

I would make a case for about 6-8 teams that could/should face it and weight all the merits of each objectively.

The problem is that I have no clue what to do with all the players on those teams. Would their contracts be void and make them free agents? Or would teams have to treat it like a draft or auction where you agree to take on their salary.

It's just something to kick around when it's boring and slow around here. It's all hypothetical, but what teams would you suggest and why? It can be any of the major sports. I am just curious to see where the discussion goes.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I'm a big proponent of retraction too. My main reasoning for wanting 2-4 teams dissolved is purely due to the watering down of the talent pool (pardon the pun). The NBA is a prime example of a league with players who are just sorely lacking in talent and fundamentals getting contracts simply because the 30 teams need to fill their rosters. The other factor of course is lack of fan support in certain locales (Miami in both MLB and NHL, Jacksonville in the NFL, Milwaukee in the NBA, etc.). Those teams will always struggle due to poor fan interest and resulting low payrolls.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Also, to answer your question about what to do with the leftover players, I remember that being discussed when there was talk of contracting the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. The consensus thought was that a draft would be held among the remaining teams.

 

[RevSader]

I'm a big proponent of retraction too. My main reasoning for wanting 2-4 teams dissolved is purely due to the watering down of the talent pool (pardon the pun). The NBA is a prime example of a league with players who are just sorely lacking in talent and fundamentals getting contracts simply because the 30 teams need to fill their rosters. The other factor of course is lack of fan support in certain locales (Miami in both MLB and NHL, Jacksonville in the NFL, Milwaukee in the NBA, etc.). Those teams will always struggle due to poor fan interest and resulting low payrolls.

I agree on all points. The NBA has been badly watered down for years. Even the super stars today lack the fundamentals that made the former stars so great. ( I am talking about YOU Lebron James. You know your footwork and jump shot look like shit. If you ever had a lower leg injury that requires serious surgery you will be in very real trouble. )

 

[Windingmywatch]

I may be wrong ... but in Europe don't they have a process whereby the worst performing team or teams are demoted from the Elite level down a level ... and the best performing teams at the second level promoted?

I agree MIA has been a terrible MLB franchise ... like Montreal was. Las Vegas ought to have a franchise instead.

But I agree ... talent may not be there for 30 teams especially the small market teams who can't afford a pitching system like TEX. So these teams will perennially suck.

When I grew up there were nine teams in both leagues ... and only six teams in the NHL. Union will never accept it ... but there ought to be a way to demote a losing franchise and promote a winning one. Works in Europe ... and understand the AAA franchises are manned by players whose contracts are owned by the parents.

Either that or just get rid of the franchises who just can't hack it operationally or financially.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I may be wrong ... but in Europe don't they have a process whereby the worst performing team or teams are demoted from the Elite level down a level ... and the best performing teams at the second level promoted?

I agree MIA has been a terrible MLB franchise ... like Montreal was. Las Vegas ought to have a franchise instead.

But I agree ... talent may not be there for 30 teams especially the small market teams who can't afford a pitching system like TEX. So these teams will perennially suck.

When I grew up there were nine teams in both leagues ... and only six teams in the NHL. Union will never accept it ... but there ought to be a way to demote a losing franchise and promote a winning one. Works in Europe ... and understand the AAA franchises are manned by players whose contracts are owned by the parents.

Either that or just get rid of the franchises who just can't hack it operationally or financially.

Yes, in the English Premier League they have what is known as the relegation and promotion system. It is absolutely brilliant and both adds excitement and prevents tanking. The bottom 3 teams in the Premier League standings at the end of the season are sent down (relegated) to the Championship League, and the top 3 teams in the Championship League are promoted to the Premier League. There are other leagues below Championship in fact where the bottom finishers from the league above are sent. So a team could conceivably finish bottom 3 in Premier League, get relegated to Championship, then finish bottom 3 in Championship the next season and get moved down again to League 1. That would be rare though, because teams who get sent down often dominate the lower league the next season and get moved right back up. There is a group of 4-6 teams which usually straddle that line.

It is cool though because it creates an additional race at the end of each season with teams fighting to avoid relegation.

If MLB had the relegation system, the Astros would be in AA ball by now.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Because baseball and hockey relies so heavily on scouting, development, minor leagues etc I really don't think there is a need for contraction in those sports.

Football can probably contract but when the least valuable team is still worth 600-700 million then it would never happen.

The NBA I agree with. A lot of watered down talent and I could see 4-6 teams going away but the question is what teams would they be? You'd make a shit ton of enemies.

And the Expos....baseball needs to come back to Montreal. What a great city and great sports town. Damn that Jeffrey Loria.

 

[jta4437]

Yes, in the English Premier League they have what is known as the relegation and promotion system. It is absolutely brilliant and both adds excitement and prevents tanking. The bottom 3 teams in the Premier League standings at the end of the season are sent down (relegated) to the Championship League, and the top 3 teams in the Championship League are promoted to the Premier League. There are other leagues below Championship in fact where the bottom finishers from the league above are sent. So a team could conceivably finish bottom 3 in Premier League, get relegated to Championship, then finish bottom 3 in Championship the next season and get moved down again to League 1. That would be rare though, because teams who get sent down often dominate the lower league the next season and get moved right back up. There is a group of 4-6 teams which usually straddle that line.

It is cool though because it creates an additional race at the end of each season with teams fighting to avoid relegation.

If MLB had the relegation system, the Astros would be in AA ball by now.

Before last year, where would the pirates have been?