With free-agent market slow, notable agent says there is a 'rising tide' among players

[Denver Native (Carol)]

A prominent Major League Baseball agent said Friday that a "fight is brewing'' over the lack of free-agent activity in the game this offseason, and said a spring training boycott might be on the horizon if teams don't begin signing players soon.

Agent Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA stopped short of using the word "collusion,'' but said the behavior of owners "feels coordinated, rightly or wrongly.''

"There is a rising tide among players for radical change,'' Van Wagenen said in a Twitter post Friday. "A fight is brewing. And it may begin with one, maybe two, and perhaps 1,200 willing to follow. A boycott of spring training may be a starting point, if behavior doesn't change.

rest - http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22300069/agent-says-fight-brewing-slow-mlb-free-agent-market

[MOtorboat]

At the beginning of free agency, circa mid-November, I remember Olney and Crasnick talking about where Hosmer and Moustakas could sign (1B, 3B, respectively), and the teams notorious for spending money in free agency had those positions fairly locked up, and therefore a big contract was going to be harder to negotiate.

I really don't think we've got collusion. It seems more like a case of a perfect storm. Several top pitchers not signed is the outlier, though.