After more than three months of gridlock between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) the two sides finally came together and approved a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to officially signal the 2022 season is taking place.
The lockout hurt teams, players, workers, fans and sport as a whole. A resolution was long-awaited and much needed to preserve the excitement surrounding young stars and what appears to be more normal conditions across stadiums.
And with the lockout now in the past, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is mindful of unifying the league and union moving forward.
“One of the things that I’m supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players. I’ve tried to do that,” he said during a press conference when announcing the lockout had ended after 99 days.
“I think that I have not been successful in that. I think that it begins with small steps. It’s why I picked the phone up after the ratification and called Tony (Clark) and expressed my desire to work with him. It’s going to be a priority of mine moving forward to try to make good on the commitment I made to him on the phone.”
Negotiations seemed to stall in the 24 hours prior to an agreement being reached, stemming from MLB’s desire to implement an international draft, which at first was a non-starter with the MLBPA.
However, their final decision doesn’t need to be made until July 25.
Manfred needs to repair his image, and his words can sound good and sincere, but how he acts moving forward will be magnified and important for the growth of baseball.
Key details of new MLB collective bargaining
All eight members of the MLBPA executive committee voted against the new CBA terms, but the 30 player representatives turned in a 26-4 tally in favor of accepting the proposal. Team owners unanimously voted to ratify the new deal.
The CBA brought forth an array of changes, including the long-anticipated universal designated hitter and expanded postseason. The union succeeded in getting team owners to agree to more aggressive luxury tax thresholds than MLB preferred.
Though, with that came a new fourth tier for luxury tax penalties — informally referred to as the Steve Cohen tax.
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