Tony Clark blasts MLB salary cap idea as 'collusion' during All-Star break
Both Clark and Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed several topics with members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America before Tuesday's All-Star Game. Manfred is reportedly pushing for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, calling for more competitive balance around the league.
Clark and the players' union, meanwhile, remain vehemently against it.
"(The owners) obviously have their interests, and those interests aren't much different from the interests they've had for the last three, four, five decades at this point," Clark said, according to Sports Business Journal. "Whereas the game is in a great place — the game appears to be growing and moving in the right direction, with more attendance that we've had in a long time — and more people are watching and streaming the games than we've ever had before.
"You would think there would be an opportunity to talk about how to build rather than how to go backward. What the interests are that they have is taking the game backward."
Clark even went as far to say that the concept of a salary cap could be considered "institutional collusion."
"A cap is not about a partnership. A cap is not about growing the game," Clark said on Tuesday. "That's not what a cap is about. As has been offered publicly, a cap is about franchise values and profits. That's what a cap is about. If there are ways that we need to improve the existing system to polish some of the rough edges that otherwise exist, we have made proposals to do that. We will continue to make proposals to do that, and believe that that's the best way to go."
The current MLB collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1, 2026. If the owners and the players' union can't come to an agreement, a lockout could potentially delay the 2027 season.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The disclosure about Trump's appearance in the Justice Department's records on the case threatened to deepen a political crisis that has engulfed his administration for weeks. Some Trump supporters for years have fanned conspiracy theories about Epstein's clients and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The White House sent mixed signals following the story. It released an initial statement characterizing it as "fake news," but a White House official later said the administration was not denying that Trump's name appears in some files, noting that Trump was already included in a tranche of materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. During her trial, Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. The Journal's report could not be immediately verified. Trump has faced intense backlash from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise. The Justice Department said in a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, sparking anger among some prominent Trump supporters who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement that did not directly address the Journal's report. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts," the officials said. "As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." Many named appeared The newspaper reported that Bondi and her deputy told Trump at a White House meeting that his name, as well as those of "many other high-profile figures," appeared in the files. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (center) during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on July 8 | Doug Mills / The New York Times On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. That motion stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents; the department has also requested the unsealing of transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and Maxwell. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." The authenticity of the alleged letter could not be confirmed. Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. MAGA pushback Trump and his advisers have long engaged in conspiracy theories, including about Epstein, that have resonated with Trump's political base. The Make America Great Again movement's broad refusal to accept his administration's argument that those theories are now unfounded is unusual for a politician who is accustomed to enjoying relatively unchallenged loyalty from his supporters. Epstein hung himself in prison, according to the New York City chief medical examiner. But his connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation that his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedeviled Trump and his fellow Republicans, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. His decision temporarily stymied a push by Democrats and some Republicans for a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would require the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous." More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Trump administration is hiding information about Epstein's clients, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.
The Mainichi
14 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Ohtani 1st Japanese to homer in 4 straight games
LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Shohei Ohtani homered for the fourth straight game in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, making him the first Japanese player to hit a home run in four consecutive MLB games. Ohtani launched his 36th home run of the season to left field with one runner on in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium, tying him for the National League lead with Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The three-time MVP, however, was hitless in his previous four at-bats, striking out twice. The NL West-leading Dodgers have lost 11 of the last 14 games. Japanese teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto started on the mound and got a no-decision after allowing three runs, one earned, and five hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked one. The game was tied at 3 after five innings. The Twins extended their lead by scoring three runs each in the sixth and seventh innings. Christian Vazquez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Minnesota offense.
Japan Times
17 hours ago
- Japan Times
Why markets may soon call America's tariff bluff
Three months after President Donald Trump announced plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on most countries, the U.S. economy appears surprisingly resilient. The stock market has rebounded from its initial slump, inflation remains under control and fears of a recession have receded — or at least they had before Trump announced a new 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union, two of America's biggest trading partners. In the months since Trump's initial announcement, several countries have entered negotiations with the United States, offering concessions they had long resisted. Many observers view this as evidence that Trump's aggressive trade tactics are working and that economists may have overestimated the potential costs. Yet this interpretation overlooks a critical detail: Many of the tariffs that Trump announced over the past few months have not been fully implemented. In fact, the administration has repeatedly backed down from its initial threats — a pattern so consistent that it has earned the acronym TACO: 'Trump always chickens out.' Despite its outspoken distrust of experts — particularly economists, scientists and health professionals — the Trump administration has consistently been attuned to financial markets. Since early April, announcements of new or increased duties have repeatedly triggered stock-market declines. In response, the administration has often softened its stance by issuing exemptions, delaying some tariffs and renegotiating others, leading to quick rebounds in equity prices. Announcements of bilateral deals have been met with investor optimism, while renewed threats of escalation have triggered sell-offs. Until recently, this feedback loop has helped rein in the administration's trade policies. But the latest escalation — including a 50% tariff on copper, higher-than-expected tariffs on goods from Vietnam and stalled negotiations with the EU — has barely moved the markets, with equity prices remaining elevated. The most plausible explanation is that investors no longer believe the administration will follow through on its threats. Instead, they see them as part of a now-familiar cycle: bold proclamations followed by delays or partial implementation. Complacency, however, introduces a new kind of risk. If markets become desensitized to Trump's tariff threats, they may no longer serve as an effective check on potentially harmful policies. Freed from that constraint, Trump could be emboldened to move forward with measures his administration has so far been reluctant to implement. It's a classic 'boy who cried wolf' dynamic. In the early stages, Trump's aggressive rhetoric helped bring negotiating partners to the table without triggering the worst-case economic scenarios, largely because the market backlash acted as a deterrent. But as investors increasingly dismiss his tariff threats, the likelihood that he will follow through on them grows. And if that happens, the long-feared consequences could finally materialize: higher consumer prices, reduced trade, disrupted supply chains and slower long-term growth. This dynamic extends beyond financial markets. Many countries that were once firmly committed to multilateralism are now pursuing bilateral deals with the U.S. in the hope of avoiding punitive tariffs. Some see these developments as vindication of the administration's current approach — evidence that the U.S. can use its economic power to reshape a system seen as unfavorable to American interests. But the shift toward bilateralism is less an endorsement of Trump's approach than a pragmatic response. Confronting the U.S. directly would be costly. Finding themselves on increasingly hostile and unpredictable terrain, many governments are buying time and hedging their bets. Such hedging can move in only one direction: away from the U.S. and toward alternative trading partners, particularly China. For most countries, that is not the preferred outcome. Vietnam, for example, has openly expressed its desire to strengthen ties with the U.S. rather than deepen its reliance on China. But as U.S. trade policy grows more erratic, governments are increasingly being forced to choose between the two powers. The irony is that Trump's efforts to bully foreign governments will ultimately diminish America's global influence. Economic leverage, after all, depends on engagement. The U.S. can pressure trading partners today precisely because it remains deeply integrated into the global economy. Consequently, U.S. policymakers now find themselves in a double bind. In the short term, financial markets have mitigated the impact of Trump's aggressive rhetoric by discouraging implementation of the policies that follow from it. But if investors keep treating his threats as empty noise, they will ignore the wolf when it appears. Moreover, given America's central role in the global trading system, its retreat from multilateralism will drive other countries to seek alternatives and diversify their trade relationships. As they become less dependent on the U.S. market, America's bargaining power will inevitably decline. While the Trump administration's strategy may appear to be working, the absence of immediate costs is not evidence of its long-term viability. Instead, it is a sign that the warnings were heard and — for a time — heeded. If the administration ignores those warnings, economists' dire predictions may come true. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, a former World Bank Group chief economist and editor-in-chief of the American Economic Review, is professor of economics at Yale University. © Project Syndicate, 2025
