Not deal. MLB locking continues.
Major League Baseball announced the postponement of the 2022 season after the MLBPA player leaders unanimously rejected the MLB’s final proposal by the league’s 5 p.m. ET deadline.
What’s next? Has Opening Day really been pushed back? Why can’t owners and players come together? How long will this mess last?
ESPN baseball experts Alden Gonzalez and Jeff Passan tackle the biggest questions surrounding the MLB’s ongoing labor dispute.
They had three months to complete a deal; Why can’t owners and players agree on a new CBA?
There are a number of macro reasons why this has not been done – a deep mistrust of player ownership, the desire to make substantial profits from the Collective Bargaining Agreement that has been waged by the governing bodies. savvy front-office, a nationwide trend among corporate billionaires to maximize profits regardless of losses – but here are micro-profits: At the start of negotiations, owners expressed a willingness to allocate return the amount to the player but not increase. In other words, the pie can change but not get bigger.
The position of the owners was in stark contrast to the ambitions of the union. That’s why every counter from the league seems to include a backing component – like a wage floor with a significantly lower ceiling – and why proposals around minimum wages, tax thresholds Luxury and money will sponsor a new player pool is nominally the best. The federation waited three months to oppose the union’s first core economic proposal, then six weeks to roll back after imposing a lockdown in December – clear signs to the union that owners Owners were motivated to pull this out in the hope of giving the players peace of mind.
The actual talks didn’t take place until the last week of February. At the time, the alliance reneged on its previous request for revenue sharing and free agency cuts and made substantial concessions on the percentage of additional players that would qualify as weights. early talent. The owners, in turn, offer more generous proposals in terms of minimum wages, luxury tax thresholds, and additional player pools. But the gap is still too wide. Owners do not want to spend significantly more. Players believe that – given the additional cash that will be provided by extensive post-production, not to mention the upcoming wave of gambling – they should do so. – Alden Gonzalez
What happens to the negotiations, when the due date has passed?
The parties will continue to talk for as long as each side feels it is in their interest to do so. As the deadline approaches, they are more willing to work through the issues that both sides are trying to solve, which is an obvious consequence of the federation setting the deadline and illustrating the reasons for it. There is an agreement to be made. Everyone involved knows that. It’s just a matter of finding an agreement that won’t necessarily make all parties happy, but one that both can live by – knowing its terms, plus avoiding the worst that comes with it. with losing more games, beat the alternative. – Jeff Passan
When can the MLB season begin at the earliest, now that Opening Day is being delayed?
Rob Manfred has announced that the first two series of the regular season have been canceled and will not be made. So the earliest season that can start is April 8.
Is there anything the commissioner can do to start the season without a new CBA deal?
Sure. Rob Manfred can lift the lock and the players can report to work and play under the old agreement. He’s unlikely to do this because it gives players the ability to attack, and because the sunset on competitive equalization taxes in the old CBA means MLB will essentially function without it. , but the league has that option in its pocket. – Passan
Will the schedule be chosen as it is when the final season begins, or will MLB need to come up with a new schedule for a shortened season?
The federation will choose the schedule. Doing it the other way – with tickets already sold for specific games on specific dates – would be complicated. – Passan
Which side will gain more leverage in the negotiations if the regular season continues to be delayed?
The owners have the upper hand. They are billionaires, and they often own their franchises for decades, passing down generations. In the long run, a few missed games in a season is just a blip on their radar. Players’ careers are significantly shorter, and so are their earning potential. They make significantly greater sacrifices when the game is missed. The owners bet that the lack of pay will break the alignment enough for the players to keep going on their side.
The MLB Players Association has been preparing for this since the last contractual agreement was signed more than five years ago, hosting a large amount of licensing checks to pay players during the shutdown. potential motion. Starting in April, players will be paid $15,000 a month. That doesn’t match their usual salary. But the players have some leverage: the knockouts extend and the funding comes from there, which the league has been smart to tie up with a full season.
Community support also seems to benefit the players. The blame for a shortened season and its effects rests largely on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, fair or not. He betrays his employers, but his job is to build enough consensus to reach an agreement. – Gonzalez
