Mets’ CBA Quandary: Should Wright Stay or Should He Go? (Village Voice/Runnin’ Scared)

If you’ve been sitting there wondering “What does the new baseball collective bargaining agreement mean for the Mets’ possible trade of David Wright?” then wait no longer, your prayers have been answered:

​The new five-year collective bargaining agreement signed by baseball owners and players yesterday features a list of tweaks to rules big and small: Among other things, fair/foul calls can now be overruled by instant replay, teams can activate a 26th man for doubleheaders, and those shatter-prone maple bats are outlawed for all new major leaguers — meaning that one day baseball history will mark, along with “Mariano Rivera: last player to wear #42” and “Burleigh Grimes: last player to throw a legal spitball,” someone’s name alongside “last player to legally pierce his teammate’s chest with a bat splinter.”

The big-ticket items, though, are around the June player draft and free agent compensation, which have each undergone some major refinements… [read more]