PHOENIX — The Players’ Association vents about the notion of what some call reconstruction, even though the de facto salary cap they traded for clubhouse chefs and middle seats on buses was a major factor in the free agents’ longest winter since 1987. Some in the media call it tanking. Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett described the theme with “Some say that’s progress, I say it’s cruel.”



When the Marlins traded what arguably was the best outfield in baseball plus as many expensive assets as they could, it was considered yet another flea market selloff in the Miami history of flea markets. And with a barren farm system, it raised the possibility that it might be years before the Marlins could even see, let alone reach, .500. The same applies to the Tigers and the Rays. The Royals get a hall pass because their previous reconstruction resulted in consecutive trips to the World Series. The Braves have been in the rebuilding pool for...