This week, of all weeks, seems like a good time to talk about the possibility of a salary cap in baseball.
The Pirates just traded two of their best players of the 21st century in large part because they knew both Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole were due for big raises from richer competitors through unfettered free agency. So they chose to get something for them while they could. It’s a dilemma the Steelers and Penguins don’t face in competing in capped the NFL and NHL, respectively, and that’s been a boon for them — they’ve combined for five championships since 2005 and have always been able to keep most of their star players.