The question of whether some teams are intentionally building bad clubs in order to improve their standing in subsequent drafts -- tanking, to borrow the parlance of the National Basketball Association -- was raised at the most recent owners meetings, according to baseball sources.
The January discussion at Coral Gables, Fla., was not formal, and there haven't been any official steps taken toward exploring the question of whether teams are endeavoring to lose. But some teams have expressed concern about a strategy that is drawing more and more attention among baseball operations officials. Another reason for the discussion at the owners' meetings was to bring up to speed anyone who wasn't aware of the conversation about the perceived tactic within the sport.