Justin Verlander Weighs In On Free Agency Drought Involving Bryce Harper, Manny Machado

Houston Astros star Justin Verlander called out the excuse that rebuilding teams hurt the market for big free agents. On Monday, he tweeted: “100 or so free agents left unsigned. System is broken. They blame “rebuilding” but that’s BS. You’re telling me you couldn’t sign Bryce or Manny for 10 years and go from there? Seems like a good place to start a rebuild to me. 26-36 is a great performance window too.”

Verlander Comments On MLB Free Agency

Like last year, the top free agents of the class are still unsigned. Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez went unsigned until February 20 and top pitcher Jake Arrieta didn’t sign with the Philadelphia Phillies until well into March. The common write-off was that they were aging players, well past their prime. But this year, 26-year-olds Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are still unsigned in mid-February. To have a superstar from 26 to 34 seems like a prime time for a rebuilding team, especially since the players may be three years away from their primes. But instead, a hesitation to spend money by owners in the only sport without a salary cap and some allegations of collusion have killed the free agency market.

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That’s not to mention that the current baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement has hurt everyone involved. Younger players are under six years of team control in the majors before they are free to negotiate. Take Cesar Hernandez, who signed with the Phillies on July 2, 2006, as a 16-year-old. He won’t become a free agent until after the 2020 season and 14.5 years of team control, meaning 14.5 years of undervalued talent. Older players — the ones most likely to negotiate the CBA because minor leaguers and international players have no say — now see their contract offers dry up as teams realize they can get a similar amount of production for a fraction of the price from young players. Because of short-sighted negotiating by the MLB Players’ Association, everyone but the owners win. Minor leaguers bring in money while getting paid almost nothing. Shohei Ohtani and similar international players get much less than market value. Young players are used up till their contract runs out and old players are left waiting for the contracts of the mid-2000s. Meanwhile, the owners reap the rewards of all of this.

On the same day as the Verlander tweet, David Samson, former president of the Miami Marlins, tweeted “There is a problem that will not be fixed by players systematically tweeting about the broken system. The reality is that players and agents have to adjust to a new reality.”

Christian Yelich, who the Marlins traded away before his MVP season, shot back: “Consistent with your anti player rhetoric but adjusting to this “new reality” isn’t exactly the solution either.”

The current MLB CBA does not expire until December 2021.