Free Agency, Collusion, and A-Rod

In a statement issued on November 9, 2007, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA)expressed concern that teams might be sharing information about their free-agent plans The MLBPA also told reporters that they were worried that Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig may be trying to hold down the price of Alex Rodriguez's next contract.

General Managers Meeting Prompts Concerns About Collusion

The statement was prompted by events that took place during this week's meeting of baseball's thirty general managers. This year, for the first time in the history of GM meetings, each general manager took the floor and told the entire group about their specific off-season plans, including which players they were going to make available for trades and which players they were pursuing in free agency. Furthermore, during the course of the week-long meetings, there was reportedly much discussion among various teams and Commissioner Bud Selig regarding the crown jewel of free agency, future home run king Alex Rodriguez.

Baseball's Players Worried About Collusion and A-Rod

Neither of those things sat well with the players' union, who is constantly on the lookout for anything that even suggests that teams might be acting together to hold down players salaries. Accordingly, the MLBPA issued the following press release on November 9:

"Over the past few days, press reports coming out of the general managers' meetings relating to the sharing of information between clubs as to their plans regarding players potentially raise serious questions concerning the fairness and integrity of the free-agent market. Such questions are amplified by reports stating that the commissioner is attempting to influence the market for at least one player." A union official later told reporters that the player in question was Alex Rodriguez.

MLBPA chief Donald Fehr elaborated further on the press release: "Any such activity with respect to free agents is clearly improper. We expect to look into the situation and are prepared to take the appropriate action to respond to any collusive behavior and to make sure that the rights of free-agent players under the Basic Agreement are fully protected."

Major League Baseball Denies Collusion

Major League Baseball quickly responded, denying that anything violative of the Basic Agreement between players and owners had occurred, with respect to free agency in general or A-Rod in particular.

Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor relations in the Commissioner's office, told reporters that he was "at a loss to understand Mr. Fehr's inflammatory allegations. In response to an inquiry, the MLBPA was informed early today that there has been no exchange of information among the clubs about players -- free agent or otherwise. The union was also told that the [general manager discussions about off season plans] was a very general discussion of club 'needs' and 'goals' in the off season to facilitate trade discussions. Any suggestion that such a discussion violates the Basic Agreement is absurd."

Collusion Against Rising Salaries Has Occurred Before

Of course, one can understand why Fehr and the MLBPA are so sensitive about collusion because it has happened before. In the 1980s, players won three collusion grievances against management, thrice proving that teams conspired to hold down free agent spending during the Decade of Greed. The players received more than $280 million is damages from those cases.

Whether the general managers "information sharing" discussion violated MLB's Basic Agreement with the players association remains to be seen, and whether Mr. Selig is really doing or saying anything improper with respect to Alex Rodriguez also awaits further investigation and disclosure.

What a game. Owners and players just finished one of the most memorable and profitable seasons in history, and everyone is still at each other's throats. One has to wonder aloud whether this is what Ty Cobb really meant when he said that baseball was "something like a war."

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