The MLB Players Association quietly dropped its grievance against the Rays last December, according to a report from Ronald Blum of The Associated Press.
That grievance had been hanging around since February 2018, when the union filed against four low-payroll clubs - the Rays, Marlins, Pirates and Athletics - over how they were using revenue sharing money. The status of the cases against the other three teams is still unclear.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, clubs that receive revenue sharing are supposed to use that money to strengthen their on-field product. But the rules are broad, and they do not require the money to go directly to player payroll. Front office spending, coaching, scouting, analytics and player development can all count toward that goal.
The reasons for the union’s quiet withdrawal are not known. Still, the timing stands out a bit, since it came a few months after former owner Stu Sternberg finalized a sale of the franchise to Patrick Zalupski. After that, the Rays received approval from Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa for a new stadium that is set to open in 2029.
Zalupski has said the new ballpark will eventually help the Rays operate with a payroll in the upper half and possibly even the top third of MLB. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
For now, MLBTR contributor Ethan Hullihen has the Rays’ end-of-season LRD payroll at $98.41MM and their competitive balance tax payroll at $116.35MM. That leaves them 26th in actual payroll and 27th in luxury tax spending.
Even with those limits, the front office built the best team in the American League. The Rays won 98 regular season games, then went 7-2 to get past the Yankees and Guardians and claim the third pennant in franchise history. They open the World Series in Milwaukee tonight.
The grievance’s withdrawal is just one piece of the broader payroll conversation now swirling around the sport. A Rays-Brewers World Series matchup at the end of the CBA term has added more fuel to the competitive balance debate, and Evan Drellich and Eno Sarris of The Athletic published a column this afternoon comparing MLB’s parity and payroll gap with the NBA and NFL, both of which use cap/floor systems.
There’s plenty more to come on that front. There is essentially no chance of a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires at the end of the day on December 1, and MLB will immediately lock out the players at that point.
Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer both said this evening there is also no realistic path to a temporary extension that would avoid the lockout, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. Each side blamed the other for wanting changes to the current system, though neither side is actually defending the status quo. MLB wants a more sweeping overhaul through a cap/floor model, while the union is seeking a major rise in luxury tax thresholds and what amounts to a soft floor through penalties for teams that keep CBT payrolls below $150MM.
In Other News...
Rays Let World Series Opener Slip After Ninth-Inning Rally
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Tampa Bay finally made things interesting in the ninth with a rally that brought the pressure right to the doorstep of the series opener. Trevor Megill was the one who closed the door for Milwaukee, and the Rays are left to sort through a missed chance after getting within striking distance in the final inning. Misiorowski, meanwhile, also delivered the kind of headline pitch that can linger in a World Series opener, even before the final frame settled the result. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Rotation Reset Could Depend On One Costly October-Proven Arm
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One name that has surfaced in that orbit is Freddy Peralta, the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander whose October work only added to his appeal. He was excellent in the postseason, covering 16.2 innings with a 1.08 ERA and taking home ALCS MVP honors, but any run at a pitcher with that kind of rsum would come with a steep price tag, and for now it remains more of a speculative fit than a concrete move. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Got One Last World Series Lifeline Before It Slipped Away
For a brief moment in Game 1 at American Family Field, the Rays found the door cracked open in a game that already felt like it was slipping away. Milwaukee had a potential game-ending double play in hand late, only for Tampa Bay to challenge the call and get a reprieve when replay showed Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt had not quite stayed on the bag.
The extra breath did not turn into a turnaround. Tampa Bay still needed to make the most of one final lifeline, and Milwaukees closer made sure it never became a full-blown rally, finishing the night with a strikeout of Jonny DeLuca to close it out. For the Rays, it was the kind of instant replay swing that can briefly change the mood without changing the result. [Read more 🡒]