Oct. 26

PHOENIX -- Talk of contraction has been like the sound of guns over the horizon, whispers quickly followed by logical denials of its legality or reality. But here we are, a week from the end of the World Series and the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and everyone from clubhouse kids to the owners now know that Bud Selig and his advisors are dead serious about at least trying to pare down franchises.

Contraction would begin to reverse the damage done by two dumb and dumber expansions that cost nearsighted owners many times more than the relatively few pennies they pocketed.

Baseball players union chief Donald Fehr insists that any contraction must be a part of the new CBA. He also wonders how, other than in Montreal, politicians and courts are going to buy into a couple of teams disappearing. Major League Baseball lawyers believe that labor law allows any company to fold.

There are sources on both sides that insist contraction is a negotiable item. And that for an increased players share of the World Cup and international dollars, an increase in rosters to 27, a shorter spring training and other chips, it can happen.

So, the industry talk right now is that MLB is wary of the Florida attorney general's office. So Montreal would disband and owner Jeff Loria would get the Marlins and try to save them, with the possibility of moving them to Northern Virginia, while Marlins owner John Henry would buy the Angels from Disney.

Then, Carl Pohlad would sell the Twins to his fellow owners, who would disband the first American League team ever to draw 3 million fans.

So much for the legalities and details and lawyer talk, and, in case you don't realize it, even MLB's brightest lawyers like Rob Manfred would much rather have some fun with all this. And what could be a greater offseason story than a dispersal draft?

Look, no one knows how this would work. But best guesses right now are that MLB will claim that the contracts of the folding teams were acquired by baseball, which would allow a dispersal draft. And since the Expos and Twins don't have too many huge salaried players, they could be dispersed, with limited no-trade exceptions.

That draft would apparently include only those players on 40-man rosters, but while many feel that those not on the 40-man roster would be free agents, one general manager says, "not only would there be a tremendous bidding war for a player like Joe Mauer (the Twins catcher selected first in this June's draft), but all those great minor league prospects might end up with the cash cow teams -- which means a separate draft."

"The great thing about something like this is that a team like the Pirates, Devil Rays or Royals could take a top player and turn him into three or four really good players," says another AL GM. "Pittsburgh would have the first pick. Can you imagine what Dave Littlefield could get for Vladimir Guerrero? Or what someone could get for Javier Vazquez? If you're a fan, this could be a blast and create a lot of excitement and interest."

No, in Montreal, they won't miss it.

So here's a mock dispersal draft, starting with the Pirates taking the first pick and following going down from there, for amusement only: