It's barely mid-April, and at least three teams look done for the year

With yet another rain-out looming tonight - and Mr. Ellsbury's barking hip still weeks away from doing the funky boogaloo - let us take time out to ponder the unponderable... 

It's now been two winters (November 2016) since MLB and the players union signed the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which imposed a de facto payroll cap and a shit ton of convenient reasons why owners should not rain money upon players. Free agency has been virtually toppled, with unsigned veterans sitting at home, contemplating forced retirements and clipping coupons. The goal was to even the playing field between big and small market franchises, to kneecap big spenders like the Yankees and bring an NFL-style "parity" to the game (which would coincide with huge windfalls for the owners.)

But something has gone wrong. While every season is subject to streaks and slumps, for several weak teams, a dead summer already looms. It's mid-April, far too early to jettison a year, yet for a few struggling franchises, an old John Melencamp song comes to mind: It's aint the end of the world, but you can see it from here.  

The Rays (3-12) are now ten behind Boston in the AL East, with the wild card slot barely jingling like a hypnotist's watch. The Royals (3-10), blessed to be in the AL Central, sit five behind Minny. In the West, Oakland (6-10) and Texas (6-11) are seven behind LA, though nobody expects the Angels to stay hot. In the NL, Miami (4-11) and woeful Cincinnati (2-13 and nine out) are already the Walking Dead. 

Listen: None of these teams is done... yet. Any one could catch fire. But baseball has become a dichotomy of contenders and tear-downs, as owners tank weak teams to reap the vast benefits of finishing last. Unless the Rays, Marlins and/or Reds have an unbelievable change of fortune, they'll be trading their best players by early June, not even waiting for the July deadline.


But they won't get away with it.

Recently, baseball has seen two amazing embarrassments, which should be sending warning flares to the heavens. Last week, the White Sox put on a game in Chicago, and practically nobody came. (The Rays don't draw on the road, either.) When this happened long ago in another era, (Sep. 22, 1966) the Yankee announcer Red Barber lost his job, because he demanded that the cameras show the stands, which he believed was the real story of the game.

Last Wednesday, the Marlins drew 6,150 fans - while their Double A farm club in Jacksonville drew 6,960. (It was their home opener.) 

Listen: baseball fans are not stupid. They know when their front office isn't trying. If the franchise doesn't plan to compete in 2018, they can wait until 2020 before shelling out for games. 

The CBA was supposed to make everything even. Some of its more draconian features are still to come. Big market teams will be forced to hold down spending more than ever, as a class of super free-agents - you know the names, Bryce, Manny, etc. - prepare to explode the system next winter. The final result could be an NBA system of one-star teams, with the shameful need for an NBA-style draft lottery. When teams are eliminated by May 1, what can baseball do? Add another tier of wild cards, of course. Or impose insane rule changes, naturally. 

Something has gone wrong, folks, and the more the gods tinker, the worse it's going to get.