Major league stoppage would shake Lidom teams

The last work stoppage in the Major Leagues, between August 1994 and April 1995, was a blessing for the winter leagues due to the waste of talent that it was able to attract even to form the Dream Team in the Puerto Rico Caribbean Series, albeit a the 62 Dominicans on the roster represented a loss of US $ 9,364,051 then (17,476,339 today), according to Baseball-Reference.

However, the potential cessation of operations this time, which could occur from tomorrow, has the Caribbean ball in an uncertainty as if it were December 31, 1999 when there was a panic that the Y2K effect would paralyze the world’s computers at midnight.

With the end of the five-year labor agreement that governs the relations between owners and players (CBA in English) this Wednesday night the MLB can ask its personnel, which includes technicians such as managers and coaches, managers, scouts, trainers, masseurs, etc. ., who has no employment contact with union members, that is, protected players on 40-man rosters.

This would leave teams at a crossroads. Do I stick with the few players on the roster of 40 who participate in the tournament or with the extensive technical personnel linked to the MLB? The players’ union has asked that its members have the freedom to continue playing on the autumn-winter circuits.

It is not speculation and the circuit most affected would be the Quisqueyano. On Monday night, the MLB office in the Dominican Republic, which directs operations in Latin America, sent a statement to the winter league teams of the Dominican, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela requesting information on all personnel and his employment relationship with the Great Circus.

The note, to which DL had access, is of “urgency” character.

If this scenario occurs and for which no one is clear today, a team like the Escogido, whose general manager is José Gómez (listens to the Tampa Bay Rays) and its leader Rodney Linares (third-rate coach of the Rays) could not have some work contact with a 40-man roster player like Aaron Hicks and Franchy Cordero, who is part of the current red squad.

In the Giants, manager Luis Urueta (quality control coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks) and his pitching coach Wellington Cepeda (bullpen coach for the Marlins) also couldn’t work in a dugout with players like Marcell Ozuna, Kelvin Gutiérrez or José. Yes.

And the Eagles? Ángel Ovalles, their manager, is a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and their bench coach TJ Peña works with the Kansas City Royals. In this week’s squad, the guinea pigs have Leody Taveras, Yairo Muñoz and Danny Santana. And the Licey? Their manager Audo Vicente is a listener for the Mariners, but players like Ronny Mauricio or Jean Carlos Mejía are part of the protected list in the Big Show.

In the Stars, their manager Felix Peguero is a scout for the Giants, but the team has talents like Jeremy Peña and Domingo Leyba that he couldn’t work with. The Greens have Robinson Canó on the disabled list.

A survey by DL found that about 60 people work with Lidom teams and have a working relationship with the MLB.

Righ now?

Although the labor pact ends at midnight on Wednesday in New York, the work stoppage would not be activated automatically. Owners and players could give themselves a time-out, set a date to negotiate what could delay the break.

To date, the positions seem far from closing a deal. Players feel that their purchasing power has been sidelined by over-reliance on analytics and the owner’s indifference to competition. And as national television rights continue to skyrocket, owners have their own concerns regarding the long-term viability of multi-million dollar local television rights.

After decades of significant improvements in working conditions, beginning with the eradication of the reserve clause in the 1970s that paved the way for free agency and remade the landscape of professional sports, players suddenly saw their fortunes reversed. as a result of the collective agreements of 2011 and 2016.

Incremental profits made by owners (a strict allocation system for draft recruits, onerous draft pick penalties for hiring free agents or exceeding the luxury tax) keep clubs spending from the moment players sign as fans until their best earning years. As a result, even as revenue increases annually, the average player salary has decreased every year since 2017.