Many players believe that the middle tier of players in baseball is disappearing during free agency. However, super agent Scott Boras asserts that he has a remedy for this issue.
It is worth noting that Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark are the MLB Players’ Association’s strategic minds, and Boras has faced accusations of being closely aligned with Meyer. This has led to players having their doubts.
Players in baseball are expressing concerns that wealth is increasingly concentrated among top earners, leaving older players deserving of moderate salaries overlooked.
Boras delved into these matters following a media event where veteran pitcher Blake Snell was unveiled to the San Francisco Giants press.
“I believe having seasoned players in the team is crucial for younger players. They contribute to a more successful team environment because of their experience in the league,” Boras explained to The Score’s Travis Sawchik. “I propose that players in their early thirties, around 32 years old, should be granted a luxury-tax exclusion. Any player aged 32 or above signing for $15 million or less should be exempt from the luxury tax.
“This would create a special category for these players. The current reluctance to sign such players is due to their late addition to teams and owners saying, ‘I won’t sign this player due to the tax implications.’
It is important to note that the MLB luxury tax system currently does not provide exemptions for specific player demographics. While Boras’ idea is feasible, it may not necessarily be implemented.
“Although MLB has a history of introducing complex mechanisms in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, there is uncertainty about whether such a rule would genuinely benefit the market for mid-tier free agents,” noted R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports.
“Ultimately, teams would still have to make a deliberate choice between an older, higher-paid player and a younger one earning closer to the minimum salary. In today’s baseball landscape, where teams are fixated, sometimes to a fault, on maximizing value, Boras’ proposal may have limited impact.”
Players in the middle class of MLB welcomed Boras’ proposal with enthusiasm.
