Coming off the first season under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Andrew Friedman was asked whether or not the new pact is more or less kind to small market clubs.

"It has always been hard to sustain success as a small-market team and the new CBA does not impact that very much," the Rays vice president said.

"There are some interesting ideas within the new system but the overarching structure still tips the scales heavily in favor of the large markets (especially with growing revenue disparity). The key to changing that will be moving to a system that doesn't penalize small-market clubs -- in the draft order, in the competitive balance lottery, in the international arena -- for being successful."