The MLB lockout has reached two months and there remains no end in sight as the league and Players Association (MLBPA) are still at odds over key issues for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
It wasn’t until last week that the two sides met for substantial talks since the lockout began. Consecutive days of meetings were viewed as an encouraging development, but excitement has since been tempered.
The union reportedly feels as though team owners are not taking them seriously, and that seemingly has only added to the existing animosity that has been at a fever pitch since MLB commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally imposed a shortened 2020 season.
Nevertheless, MLB and the MLBPA are set to be back at the bargaining table on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association plan to meet Tuesday for the next round of collective-bargaining talks, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 1, 2022
During last week’s negotiations, the union did away with their proposal to change free agency to an age-based system and adjustments to revenue sharing amongst teams. MLB responded by outlining a pre-arbitration bonus pool and increasing salary for first-year players.
However, MLB’s proposed bonus pool for pre-arbitration players was $10 million, a figure vastly lower than the $105 million sought by the MLBPA. The league’s proposed minimum salary was pitched at increasing from $600,000 to $615,000, compared to a $775,000 ask from players.
Will Spring Training be delayed?
With the calendar now reaching February, time is of the essence if Spring Training camps are to open as scheduled. The general sense is a new collective bargaining agreement must be in place within the next week, or it will likely lead to Spring Training being delayed.
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