Collusion charge is a stretch, but MLB is facing a real problem

It's been the underlying story of the entire offseason throughout the baseball world, the lack of free agent signings. And yesterday the most controversial theory was put out there by a prominent agent, something many have wondered but few have publicly been willing to offer: collusion by all 30 clubs to keep spending down and increase their own profits.

Brodie Van Wagenen, the co-head of CAA baseball and agent for a host of big-name players (including Ryan Zimmerman), posted a memo on his Twitter account that "the behavior of Owners in this year's free agent market has changed dramatically" and "it feels coordinated." Van Wagenen said many club presidents and general managers he deals with are frustrated with the lack of funds they're being given to sign players, "raising further suspicion of institutional influence over spending."

Players both already under contract and not currently under contract are "outraged," Van Wagenen wrote, and "there is a rising tide among players for radical change." How would they attempt to accomplish that? "A boycott of Spring Training may be a starting point, if behavior doesn't change."

No matter what you think of this debate, those are some pretty strong words. Van Wagenen essentially is suggesting the players might strike in the next couple weeks and not participate in spring training.

There's a long way to go before that actually happens, and it should be noted this is only one agent expressing his thoughts, not the players themselves or their union. But it should be clear by now that the relationship between players and owners, which had for the most part been exceptionally strong over the last two decades, has eroded to a point not seen since the 1994 strike that caused so much damage to the sport.

It's easy to say the players are spoiled millionaires and have nothing to gripe about, but there is validity to their frustration. Major League Baseball has never been more profitable, yet team payrolls may actually decrease from 2017 to 2018 if things keep up like this. Yes, the players are handsomely paid, but the owners are paid even more and appear to be pocketing even more of their revenues than ever before.

At the same time, the suggestion of formal collusion among the 30 owners and the commissioner's office is a dangerous one, without real proof. There are a host of legitimate reasons why so many free agents remain unsigned this winter.

* Front offices are getting smarter and more analytical and coming to the conclusion that paying tens of millions of dollars to free agents in their 30s is poor management, with the vast majority of stars in the sport today in their 20s and still years away from free agency.

* More and more teams are recognizing they have little chance of winning their divisions, don't want to go all-in just to try to reach a one-game wild card playoff and instead are tearing down rosters in an attempt to begin a long-term rebuild that historically pays off (just look at what the Astros, Cubs and Nationals, to name a few, have done in recent years).

* Traditionally high-spending clubs are trying to make sure they get their payrolls under the $197 million luxury tax threshold this winter, resetting their penalty statuses heading into next winter's star-studded free agency that includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson and maybe Clayton Kershaw.

So the notion that there's actual collusion taking place is a stretch. But that doesn't mean there aren't fundamental problems with the sport's current economic system.

Players should be getting a bigger slice of the pie. More specifically, younger players who are in their prime should be getting a bigger slice of the pie. It's up to both sides to figure out how best to accomplish that, whether it's reducing the service time (currently six years) needed to reach free agency, moving up the start of arbitration (currently three years) or something else.

The "radical change" Van Wagenen spoke of isn't going to come in the next 10 days, but both sides would be wise to at least acknowledge what's at stake here. The last thing anyone should want right now is the serious threat of players refusing to take the field, even if only for spring training games.