MLB Ditches Disrespectful Salary 'Belt' as Tensions Rise Between Owners and Players

Even for a sport that once saw owners and GMs in the 1980s collude to not sign free agents in order to keep player salaries low, this is still a pretty bad look.

At the MLB's GM meetings, the team that annually keeps player salaries the lowest during arbitration is awarded with a "championship belt", at least until this year. The belt was obviously a major source of irritation for a Players Association that is threatening a work stoppage. The league has put a stop to this practice, claiming that it "is not in their best interest" to continue the tradition.

MLB usually presents The Belt this morning at the GM meetings. But they have now decided against doing so, telling team execs today it is not in their best interest to keep doing so.https://t.co/kf08AI06yU
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) November 11, 2019

The main issue that has baseball players around the league ready to go on strike is the perception that free agents are being forced to take contracts below their market value.

Adding a championship belt for a company that suppresses the wages and rights of its workers is in incredibly poor taste. Good on the league for doing away with this.

LRT: Forgot about that. I wrote about it last spring. https://t.co/Ojbu96SMaA
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) November 11, 2019

We've seen the league season stopped due to a strike in 1994, so the MLBPA has shown a willingness to go the distance if an agreement can't be reached. Buckle up, this is going to get nasty.