After failing to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at Roger Dean Stadium, MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) quickly reconvened in New York for more meetings as Spring Training days fell off the schedule.
Similar to when MLB imposed a February 28 deadline for a new CBA, there appeared to be progress Tuesday as another cutoff was reached. However, just like in Florida, talks the following morning stalled due to a significant disagreement.
Whereas MLB and the MLBPA moved closer to each other’s asks with respect to the luxury tax thresholds, starting minimum salary and pre-arbitration bonus pool, they remained at odds over the qualifying offer aspect of free agency and potentially implementing an international draft.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, that has been temporarily addressed as a final decision for an international draft doesn’t need to be made until July 25, and that will also impact the qualifying offer status:
MLB and the MLBPA agreed that they have until July 25 to reach a deal on an international draft that would start in 2024, a source tells ESPN. If a deal is reached, the qualifying offer will vanish. If no deal, the QO will return and the international system will remain the same.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
Multiple reports indicated the union was awaiting a formal response from the league after submitting their latest CBA proposal. Instead, MLB’s counter entailed three options for players to choose from if they wished to continue negotiating.
One was to outright eliminate the qualifying offer and add an international draft.
A second choice was to keep the qualifying offer part of free agency, but the current process for signing amateur international players as well.
Lastly, the MLBPA was given the option to wait on a formal decision with respect to an international draft (that would begin in 2024) until Nov. 15, 2022. However, if the union decided at that point to forgo an international draft, MLB would retain the right to reopen the CBA. That effectively would turn a five-year deal into one that could span only three years.
With an agreement on that front now in place, MLB is expected to make a written counteroffer.
MLB removed additional 2022 regular season games
Prior to negotiations reaching an impasse, it was reported MLB had an initial plan for Opening Day of the 2022 regular season to only be delayed until April 6 or 7 if a CBA was in place by Wednesday’s deadline.
But once the union declined to pick from the league’s three options, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced two more series were removed from the schedule. The result of which made Thursday, April 14, the earliest date Opening Day will be held.
Manfred notably did not specify that the games were canceled, though the league had previously suggested lost contests at this point would not be rescheduled.
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