This will be an off-season like none other....

[Look at Ray Ray Run 3,274]

This is going to be an interesting off-season for a lot of reasons, but this off-season is almost the perfect storm in regards to being terrible for free agents.

The CBA is set to expire as is, and COVID is still going to be running into next season. The players have less leverage than they have ever had. I have been thinking about all the things going against free agents this off-season and I think it could be even slower of an off-season than we've had the past couple of seasons.

1. Owners have significant uncertainty heading into next season with COVID still ravaging. Many teams took on substantial losses and will use that as an excuse to not invest at all. The fact that there are even rumblings that a player of Kris Bryant's quality could be non-tendered (he won't be) truly exemplifies the difficulties players face this off-season. Many teams are cutting wages.

2. The CBA is looming and there could be a stoppage. Owners pairing that concern with COVID may get ultra tight with the pocket book. The CBA has a lot to work out, and free agents are better off - probably - trying to extend their FA out a year or two by signing shorter deals.

3. Typically players who wait out the market don't lose any earnings and usually get what they want; this off-season I think we are going to see a flood of early lower signings on 1-2 year deals, but the players looking to get paid are going to be sitting out there for a long time... and unlike years past, if COVID gets worse, and ballparks are looking at closings again and the CBA negotiations go poorly you could see something like 75% of teams sitting out FA almost entirely.

This would make me optimistic as a White Sox fan but Reinsdorf very rarely breaks rank and file and if other owners are claiming poor and non-tendering quality players I worry he won't spend.

This might be the worst year to be a FA imaginable.

People that think Springer signs early; I hope you're right. Springer signing early would be a good sign that the market won't be dead for the entire off-season, but I think we get a bunch of shorter contracts signed relatively quickly - as midlevel to low level guys jump out at offers - and the bigger players are either short-terming their way to high AAV, or they are sitting out there maybe past February.

[Balta1701 2,665]

I've been surprised at the 2 contracts signed so far, even though they've only been 1 year deals. I wonder if the owners aren't thinking that next season could be somewhat shortened, so that they're not going to pay out the full dollar amount they're signing.

[Look at Ray Ray Run 3,274]

52 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I've been surprised at the 2 contracts signed so far, even though they've only been 1 year deals. I wonder if the owners aren't thinking that next season could be somewhat shortened, so that they're not going to pay out the full dollar amount they're signing.

I think this is part of it. Guys more willing to spend decent on 1-2 year deals since if either season plays thru that means things had improved financially for the future.

[ScooterMcGee 614]

I just don't understand the reason behind a possibility of a stoppage. Both sides know pretty much with what each other wants. There was already a stoppage of sorts last year.

But I guess it wouldn't surprise me considering that they almost didn't play this year due to fighting over money.

[Yearnin' for Yermin 1,933]

Regarding the 1994 strike, how big of a part did Reinsdorf play in it? No more or less than the other owners?

Imagine another strike during a season where the Sox are a favorite to win it. Depressing. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run 3,274]

10 hours ago, Yearnin' for Yermin said:

Regarding the 1994 strike, how big of a part did Reinsdorf play in it? No more or less than the other owners?

Imagine another strike during a season where the Sox are a favorite to win it. Depressing. 

Jerry might as well have been the Don Corleone of the first strike leadership.