Wage Wars
...ally bid on him like he is on an auction block, and the highest bidding team signs him. This means that teams with larger payrolls will be able to acquire more skilled players and fix themselves at the top of the league year after year. The question is: Do players who are marginally better, based on stats, deserve to make larger-than-life salaries? Consider Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when compared to Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Crawford batted .297 with 11 home runs, 55 RBI, 59 stolen bases and 104 runs scored. Rodriguez finished with a .286 batting average, 36 home runs, 106 RBI, 28 stolen bases and 112 runs scored. Rodriguez had triple the home run and double the RBI totals of Crawford, while Crawford had twice as many steals and a higher batting average. Does it make sense that Rodriguez ($22.0 M/Yr) makes 68 times the salary of Crawford ($320,000/Yr), when his output is slightly better? There are only two conceivable ways to combat the inflation of baseball salaries. The first would be to impose a league maximum salary. Some people may not embrace this tactic, as it is possible that players with varying talent levels may earn the same salary. The more plausible option would be to come up with a salary scale that is influenced by a player's stats and the intangibles he brings to his team, such as leadership val...