Baseball Business for dummies?

December 15, 2003 5:54 AM

Rule 5 draft...the waiver wire...the luxury tax...arbitration...restricted free agency...ahh, the business of baseball. Revel in it, or deplore it, as I do, but this winter, especially, it seems like the suits are particularly active...perhaps laying the groundwork for a Red Sox championship, among other oddities??? A lot of it is greek to me, tho. Can anyone recommend a website or book that breaks down this stuff? Baseball Business for Dummies?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders to Education (4 answers total)

You wanna talk baseball? OK, maybe that's too much background. You're interested in the business end of the game. Start with Baseball America's FAQ (scroll down to Major Leagues for explanations of free-agent compensation, salary arbitration, options, waivers, and more). Also check out the explanation for the Rule 5 Draft. And you'll also want to take a peek at this summary of the current collective bargaining agreement (including luxury tax). Anything else?
(The AL East is certainly shaping up to be interesting next year. Of course the Yankees and Red Sox are typical powerhouses, but Baltimore is finally making some intelligent moves and my beloved Blue Jays might, just might, have picked up enough pitching to challenge. Tampa? Well, somebody has to be in last place.)
posted by GhostintheMachine at 7:00 AM on December 15, 2003

Also, this site has a listing of current contracts for all MLB players. Strange that it's out of the UK.
posted by TimeFactor at 7:01 AM on December 15, 2003

You can always post baseball questions here and get well thought out answers and tips from that community.
posted by vito90 at 7:46 AM on December 15, 2003

MoneyBall has some great parts about exactly how the wheeling and dealing between GMs takes place. It's biased, exaggerated, and lots of fun to read.
posted by fuzz at 1:38 PM on December 15, 2003