SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale on the newest Baseball Hall of Fame class. USA TODAY Sports
Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement doesn’t expire until after the 2021 season, but Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is already pondering if his union brethren should ponder extreme actions in the face of a collapsing free agent market.
“Maybe we need to go on strike, to be honest with you,” Jansen said at the Dodgers’ fan festival, per the Los Angeles Times.
More than 100 free agents remain unsigned with less than three weeks remaining before spring training – a list that includes All-Star performers like Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish and J.D. Martinez, along with plenty of mid-tier pricing options and a gaggle of useful bargain buys.
Few have budged, with center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s $80 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers the biggest thus far this winter.
The market has been dragged down considerably by the Miami Marlins’ swap meet, as they traded an entire All-Star outfield of Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich.
And so seven of the top 10 free agents remain, for now, jobless.
"That is something we might have to address, so you don't have a lot of Miami Marlins doing this," said Jansen, who just one year ago enjoyed bids from multiple teams before re-signing with the Dodgers for five years and $80 million. “Maybe it's an adjustment for us, as the players' union.”
Gallery: 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class
