Baseball heading for trouble

The New York Yankees are one of the big spenders

By Kevin Asseo BBC Sport Online's US reporter

Major League Baseball is in trouble once again.

As the season moves into its final two months, a black cloud, in the shape of a players' strike, hangs over the sport.

Strike on hold

Baseball has had eight work stoppages in the past 30 years - both players' strikes and owners' lockouts - and could be headed for number nine.

As is always the case, the need for a new labour agreement between owners and players has caused the players' union to threaten to strike before the end of the season.

Public opinion is so overwhelmingly in favour of drug testing

Kevin Asseo

Team owners and the union are at the negotiating table, but as usual things are moving slowly.

There is a different twist to the proceedings this year, however.

Rather than the typical players versus owners struggle, this has become something of a three-way negotiation.

There is a rift among the owners, putting them in two distinct camps - the small market teams (such as the Milwaukee Brewers or Kansas City Royals) and the large market sides (like the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers).

Problems pile up

At the fore of the negotiations is the issue of revenue sharing.

Owners of the small market teams want a system in place that will allow them to compete equally with the big sides, similar to the revenue sharing plan the NFL uses with great success.

The large market owners are less enthusiastic to incorporate such a plan.

But both groups agree that something must be done to halt the ever-increasing salary figures of major league players and to ease the financial burdens on the small-city teams.

In addition to increased revenue sharing, owners would like a substantial luxury tax initiated.

Alex Rodriguez earns over $25m a year

Their current proposal would have any team with a payroll over $98m taxed 50 cents on every dollar spent over that limit.

The players, of course, want little done to change the system that has the average major league player making more than $2m per year and the top players making upwards of $25m annually.

The owners and players remain far apart on the financial issues, the biggest reason to fear a player walkout before the end of the season.

But there is reason for optimism, believe it or not.

On some of the smaller issues at the negotiating table, room for compromise exists.

And since both sides know that they will not get everything they want, a little compromise can go a long way.

Baseball's interleague debate

Players and owners could agree on a restructuring of baseball's amateur draft.

Currently, the draft is for North American players only.

There is no standard process for signing players from outside the US or Canada, creating a first-come-first-served free-for-all.

Though players and owners disagree slightly about how to do it, chances are they will come together on the issue and create a worldwide draft beginning next year.

Reports of rampant steroid use among players have disgusted fans all season long.

Public opinion

But imagine this - the issue may actually serve to help baseball avoid a stoppage and save the season.

Public opinion is so overwhelmingly in favour of drug testing that the players have virtually no choice but to agree to some type of testing policy.

For the most part, fans know little, and care less, about the financial aspects of Major League Baseball.

But ask a fan if a player should be allowed to take steroids unchecked and the answer will almost certainly be no.

If the players relent on the issue of drug testing, perhaps the owners will bend slightly on their financial proposals.

And maybe there will be a World Series this year after all.