MLBPA Could Find It Hard To Prove Case In Revenue-Sharing Grievance

The MLBPA, which filed a grievance last week , "probably has little chance of proving" that the Rays, A's, Pirates and Marlins "haven't spent their revenue-sharing money properly," according to a legal expert cited by Nick Cafardo of the BOSTON GLOBE. But what is "ironic here is the big-market teams that contribute hard-earned profits to small-market teams are likely rooting" for the MLBPA. Big-market teams "hate revenue sharing." However, what the union is charging "isn't easy to prove." Cafardo: "Are the Rays, Pirates, Marlins, and A's tanking? You sure can make a case for at least three of them; the A's seem to be trying." The union "really had no choice but to pursue a grievance" ( BOSTON GLOBE, 3/4 ). ESPN.com's David Schoenfield wrote under the header, "Money Isn't Always The Problem When Small-Market Teams Struggle." The "bigger issue" is that both the Pirates and Rays have done a "lousy job lately of producing major league talent" ( ESPN.com, 3/2 ).