JotCast | Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat

Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat - 6/18/20

Chris

12:01

Will we have a season agreed to by the weekend?

Dan Szymborski

12:02

No, but I think we'll inch closer.

OH YEAH MAKE CHAT GO NOW

12:03

You have no chance to survive make your time.

Guest

12:03

Read a little on Georgism after your chat last week. Really interesting stuff. How does the theory suppose farming would work for our modern needs, though? If land is the only thing taxed, wouldn't that disincent farming, which has a huge footprint and tiny margins?

Dan Szymborski

12:04

Honestly, i don't know enough about agricultural policy to have an educated opinion here.

Chris

12:04

Why do so many national writers (Heyman, onley, nightengale, Sherman) always side with the owners? Should players be calling out specific journalists more often?

Dan Szymborski

12:04

I'm not sure they necessarily side *with* the owners.

Chris

12:04

What amount of games would it take for you to give up your right to grieve a bad faith negotiation? The players feel like they'd be giving up a lot as the deal currently stands

Dan Szymborski

12:05

I think if they can get the precedent of full pro-rated salaries for 65 games, the MLBPA should take it

12:06

I know many won't like it, but if the MLBPA gets close to an agreement they like the practical idea is to not pursue a grievance.

The threat of a grievance shouldn't go past this negotiation. Otherwise, you make the cost/benefit for the owners look more towards not having a season

Chris

12:06

With 16 playoff teams, how will top seeds benefit? Have you heard any rumblings to any creative ideas like all home games for the higher seed, etc?

Dan Szymborski

12:06

I have no ideas.

Guest

12:06

Is one of the Georgism basic tenets that the efficiency of land tax is an "invisible hand?" Like instead of taxing unwanted behaviors like tobacco sales, once everyone was using tobacco, the land value for growing it would go way up, the taxes would increase, so then the suppliers would have to charge more, so then fewer people would buy? Is that about right?

Dan Szymborski

12:06

That's not far off.

12:07

(But guys, don't want to have a Politics chat, so let's be aware of that!)

Matt

12:07

Here is an idea: Baseball Owners call up their buddies in Congress and ask for a bailout or 0% interest loan with some “healing the nation” grift. Congress agrees on the condition that minor leagues are not contracted(which is important to a lot of their districts). Is that a realistic or decent proposal? It seems like almost everyone could win.

Dan Szymborski

12:07

The amount the owners would require is way too much and I don't think Congress would have any stomach for this.

Derek

12:08

Hi Dan! How excited are you for CK3?

Dan Szymborski

12:08

Very!

CK2 is my second-most-played game on Steam

Nico

12:08

Happy birthday Eve!

Guest

12:08

How's about Cheers for today's tv theme song?

Dan Szymborski

12:09

I'm really mucusy today, so I'm skipping the theme song

Derek

12:09

Thoughts on the prospect of expanded playoffs?

Dan Szymborski

12:09

If they get the season going and help save revenues in 2021, it's fine

12:10

but I would not like to see it a permanent change; 16 team playoffs of short tourney pretty much ends any real value to crowning the best team.

Joe

12:10

Are you surprised that so many FG readers and writers are firmly on the players side? One of the knocks on analytics has always been that, to some extent, it's pro-management.

Dan Szymborski

12:11

Not really, given the demographic, which tends to be very much in favor of union sides.

Personally speaking, I prefer players getting money to owners.

I can't speak for my colleagues though, I can only speak for what *I* personally believe, which has a great deal overlap, but also a great deal of non-overlap.

12:12

Just speaking for myself, I believe in a fair set of rules that covers what I see as civil liberties and whatever stems from the fairest set of rules we can manage is the just result.