Viewpoint / Letters : Raines Isn’t the Only One Being Shunned

With regard to the Padres’ so-called attempts at signing free agent Tim Raines:

I would like to know why there has been no concern with signing any of the other big-name free agents in what is considered a quality crop of free agents. The same goes for the Dodgers.

If Ballard Smith and Al Campanis are serious about winning and want to cut their payrolls, then why not sign one of these guys and dump a high-salaried underachiever as compensation? The Padres probably would make money on the deal, as well as acquiring a certified game-breaker who could win games and draw fans.

Why aren’t the Padres doing this? The same reason, I suspect, that the Dodgers aren’t . . . and the Angels . . . and everybody else. Collusion? I think so.

Twenty-six clubs don’t all suddenly get cheap and change their priorities independent of one another. This is collusion taken to the extreme, and it’s bad for the game.

NICK DANGER

San Diego