MLB Trade Rumors 10:11pm CDT The competitive balance tax has been an insidious force against the players. Back in 1996, in the wake of the ’94 strike, a new collective bargaining agreement was reached and healing between the teams and players could begin. As Jon Pessah wrote in his book The Game, “[Union head Donald] Fehr finally said yes to a luxury tax — the first time the union agreed to any form of payroll restraint since free agency changed everything in 1976.” I don’t think anyone anticipated what the luxury tax would become. In that CBA, which covered 1997-2001, the lux...