Angels contact MLB about Trout Tampering or just Fish Mongering?

[xisxisxis]

Looks like Bryce Harper's big mouth set off some bells in the Angels front office and it will be interesting to see what MLB does.

 

I would hate MLB to even get close to the joke that the NBA is where players group together to play on their designated "playoff" team... Clearly by the code of tampering, Harper's comments fit the definition. Wouldn't mind a nice penalty on Harper and a significant penalty on the Phillies... I'm no fan of the Angels, especially the clown car that is their front office, but the dude is signed for another year and any discussion about his options by teams/team personnel is just inappropriate...

[Thurston Fluff]

I don't know how MLB can do anything about it. The players aren't owners or representatives of management so they aren't subject to tampering like people who represent management. FWIW I get your concern. I just don't think it's something that MLB can do anything about without a major legal battle on their hands.

[pitchleague]

I was reading about that today and it made me think of Monty Python's "Life of Brian" when the old man is arrested and says, "Look, I had a lovely supper and all I said to my wife was 'that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah.'" I won't play spoiler of what happens next, in case you haven't seen the film.

 

But that's how I felt. Bryce said something that he kind of wishes were true and people are up in arms that he dare say something like this. Who cares??? I know this is a "tampering" issue but really, in this day and age, who gives a flip?

[jerichoholicninja]

Big whoop. He wants to have a really good player on his team. And people have a problem with that? If Yelich or Braun said the same thing people here wouldn't care a lick one way or another.

 

And not to dive into the topic that drives everyone crazy these days, but you won't have to worry about players joining together to form superteams in MLB anytime soon. Teams just can't afford to sign multiple superstar players because superstar players aren't willing to take a discount to win. In the NBA, guys are taking less than the maximum of what they could get so teams can afford to create a superteam.

[Ennder]

I just think it is fully that people say this is a baseball thing when the same exact scenarios happened in the NFL and NBA recently and were dealt with in the same exact ways. This may be a really dumb way to look at this issue but it isn't a baseball thing.

[stalton]

Personally I think if Harper had spoke on the behalf of the Phillies that's one thing, but one player talking to another player independently is nothing significant, in my opinion.

[owbc]

Keep it up. More controversy please. If only MLB players had the personality of NBA stars...

[BrewFan130]

I like Harper’s assumption that because he’s on the Phillies now that MLBs best should want to join him. Mike Trout being the superior player I’d imagine there be a greater desire to recruit talent around him especially since he has a far more likeable personality that’s more likely to draw other top talent around him.