Jason Foster

Baseball and more for @SportNState. Previously: @MLB, @SportingNews. BBWAA member. Galatians 2:20.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

I thought Walt Weiss was the wrong choice to lead the Braves. Go ahead and score it "E-Jason."

Why Weiss earned my vote for NL Manager of the Year.
https://t.co/KOEfuZjNIY

[Karen Crouse @Kayceeunplugged]

I loved this piece @ByJasonFoster 👊

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@Heard_Herd Thanks! It’s definitely an E-0.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

I thought Walt Weiss was the wrong choice to lead the Braves. Go ahead and score it "E-Jason."

Why Weiss earned my vote for NL Manager of the Year.
https://t.co/KOEfuZjNIY

[Sport & State @SportNState]

.@ByJasonFoster thought the Braves made a lazy choice when they named Walt Weiss manager after last season.

But Weiss ultimately handed Foster a big L and earned his vote for NL Manager of the Year.
https://t.co/HNaLEvqdm4

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@SamTRobertson https://t.co/FPebSrh9vQ

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

The Panthers are too much of a joke for their opponents to get that much help from the refs.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@JxSheppard Thanks for reading.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

Most people yelling at me about this haven't actually read the column. So here's a short version:

For the past year, polls have shown that a clear majority of baseball fans wants want a salary cap -- sometimes as high as 79 percent. This means most fans will *not* be on the players' side during the lockout. For most, it's about competitive balance. It has nothing to do with being "pro owners" or "anti-labor."

As I point out in the column, I don't feel sorry the owners at all. That would be silly.

But because most fans want a cap, players will have a hard to selling themselves as the good guys when refusing a system in which the top players could still make $50 million+ while the *minimum* salary would be $1 million for most players. A fan making $22 an hour and struggling to pay bills doesn't want to hear that those amounts just aren't enough. https://t.co/pP59pOSTtU

[Anthony Castrovince @castrovince]

We can't go back in time, but, had MLB's proposal been in effect, Bryce Harper could have conceivably signed two max contracts after 2018 and after 2023 worth a combined 11 years, $388 million.

Harper's actual contract was 13 years, $330 million.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@ktully11 Thanks for reading! They should care because apathy for your audience is not a recipe for long-term success.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@metsfan8626 I agree. But apathy for your audience is not a recipe for long-term success, especially when fans' spending enthusiasm helps make the big salaries possible.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

I said in the column that there are lots of teams that could/should spend more. But most of them won't do it unless they're forced to, which is why a floor is necessary. But they probably won't do a floor without a cap. Also, under the current system, teams like the Pirates and Guardians will never be able to outbid the Dodgers or Yankees for a big free agent. Only a few teams have access to money that could win a major bidding war. Let's not pretend that it's *all* just a matter of certain owners refusing to spend more.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

"The Bully Pulpit" has been my favorite podcast for a long time. This was a great episode. It got spicy, which I loved.

[Erik Reed @ErikReed]

New episode is LIVE. We discuss midterms and where things go from here.

https://t.co/KE9MPu4cMf

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@dead_baseball Yes, and I point that out in the column. But most players in the league (51-ish percent) have at least two years of service time, so most players would make at least $1 million under the proposal.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@KillMonger2026 I don't disagree. But I do think there are some teams that will not spend unless forced to. I would be fine with a floor and no cap, but that's not going to happen.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

If I make $45,000 a year and my boss wants to cap my earnings at $48,000, that's a problem because it introduces real-world cost-of-living issues. But if I make $5 million a year and my boss wants to cap future earnings at $7 million, that would make essentially no real-world difference. And if I make $20 million and the cap is $25 million, there's even less of an effect. These are not the same things.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@LoveTheseMets But you bring up a good point about optics, so within the story that link now goes to the actual poll rather than the MLB article. https://t.co/Qge61gfokP

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

I get why they published the poll. And while that poll is certainly the outlier, several other polls over the past year have shown support of 54 percent or higher. I nver said the Morning Consult poll was definitive. I presented it as *one* of the polls. Most fans surveyed want the cap, according to every poll. You don't have to like it, but it's true.

[Jason Foster @ByJasonFoster]

@LoveTheseMets How does that invalidate the results of the poll?