Collusion

Apparently part of the new labor deal is an agreement by the owners to pay the players $12 million for collusion during the 2002 free agency period (via Baseball Musings). I will admit that I am unsure if the 2002 free agency period refers to the period before the 2002 season or the 2003 season. The only reason this catches my eye is that it is roughly (or exactly, again, depending on the definition of "2002 free agency period" the same time period that Dave Littlefield signed Jeff Suppan, Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton, and Matt Stairs cheaply to play productive baseball for the Pirates. So the one offseason that Dave Littlefield is constantly trying to recreate when he signs these over the hill veterans took place either during or shortly after a period when teams were conspiring to keep the prices of free agents down. Sounds about right. I'd bet this is what Kevin McClatchy meant by his "funny water" comments a few years back, a couple of the owners had gone out and overpaid for some free agents when there was an agreement that the public was not aware of not to do so.