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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Tuesday night that owners want him to introduce a cap on contract length for players in the major leagues.
That has caused a huge uproar among fans who're confident that the players will strongly oppose the suggestion. Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark was quick to respond that the union won't approve such limits.
It's common for teams to offer players contracts that are 8-12 years long. The San Diego Padres recently set the record for the longest contract offered by signing Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year contract. However, a cap on the length of players' contracts would give more control and power to team owners.
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Speaking at the Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports conference on Tuesday, Manfred said:
"A reform that has been of interest to ownership for a number of years is a limitation of contract length."
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, though, called the idea an 'assault' on player contracts. Clark added that long-term contracts help owners by keeping their player AAV (Average Annual Value)s down.
Fans, too, were quick to voice their concerns over such a change and lambasted Manfred for his stance. Some even went so far to suggest that Manfred's contract should be limited.
"It’s like they prefer to sabotage labor peace," tweeted podcaster Jared Carrabis.
"How about we limit Manfred's contract length," questioned one fan.
Here are some of the other reactions:
Fan reactions suggest MLB could struggle to enforce limits on player contract lengths
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred received severe backlash for vouching the idea of a limit on the contract lengths of players.
It suggests that such a change is far from becoming a reality even though the owners would love to have it. Such a change would only benefit the owners and would create major changes in the baseball market.
So, it seems unlikely that the players' union would ever consider agreeing such a change. However, rules are constantly changing, and we can never say for certain how the league would evolve in the future.
