MLB and the Players Association returned to the negotiating table this week, which saw the union back off from their request for an age-based free agency system and revise their proposal pertaining to revenue sharing amongst teams.
The two sides held another meeting on Tuesday, and although a deal wasn’t reached, MLB attempted to make some concessions. The league showed a willingness to establish a pool of money for pre-arbitration players and additionally offered to increase the minimum salary.
While this is a step in the right direction, both proposals fell well short of what the Players Association has asked for. Furthermore, details for the luxury tax threshold have not yet been outlined, so there is still a ways to go before the lockout ends.
With January winding to a close, it is believed that a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) needs to be in place by Feb. 1 for Spring Training camps to open on time, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan:
Many in the industry believe an agreement needs to be reached by Feb. 1 in order for spring training camps to open on time.
As it currently stands, pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training on or around Feb. 14. Given how far apart MLB and the players remain on several issues, it’s looking likely that date will be pushed back.
Even if that proves to be the case, it’s encouraging that both sides are communicating more frequently, as opposed to December when no core economics talks were held.
March 1 is considered a more important deadline as a new CBA being in place by then could determine if Opening Day of the 2022 regular season will be held on the final day of the month as planned.
Players reportedly feel they aren’t ‘being taken seriously’ by MLB
Despite the two sides engaging in more discussions, the Players Association reportedly feels they aren’t being taken seriously by MLB in CBA negotiations.
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