In their first meeting since owners locked players out on Dec 2nd, MLB officials made their first official proposal to the Players Union Thursday. While the fact that the two sides have finally agreed to come to the bargaining table a full month after the lockout took effect is encouraging, initial reports indicate that the proposal did little to move the needle negotiation wise.
Thursday’s discussion was a video call which lasted over an hour, a marked improvement from the two sides 7 minute long fiasco a month prior. With the league making the first offer, it’s now expected that the Player’s Union will huddle up and submit a counter proposal, perhaps as early as next week.
Included in the league’s first offer were new rules around service manipulation whereby teams could be rewarded with draft picks should they promote top prospects immediately and changes to the arbitration system for players with 2+ years of MLB experience. Not addressed were many of the players main concerns including taxes, free agency, and minimum salaries.
While not necessarily sticking points in the negotiations, it was interesting to note that the MLB and Players reps also discussed playoff expansion and a universal designated hitter as part of their new CBA.
Major League Baseball has reportedly thrown out the idea of increasing the competitive balance threshold from $210M to $214M, however this figure remains over $30M shy of where the Union would like to see it set.
With negotiations only resuming in mid-January, it seems increasingly unlikely that the two sides will be able to come together to iron out a new agreement prior to February when pitchers and catchers generally begin reporting to Spring Training.
In order for Spring Training to begin on time, both parties would need to ratify a new CBA by the first week of February at the latest. With Opening Day scheduled for March 31st this year, if a bargain isn’t struck by at least the first week of March fans can expect postponement or outright cancellation of regular season games.
Because of the lockout, teams aren’t permitted to have any contact with players. As a result, there are still hundreds of free agents to issue contracts to, COVID protocols which need to be cleared, and foreign VISAs which need to be resolved. And for anyone paying attention to the Australian Open debacle currently unfolding, VISAs are more than a rubber stamp formality.
No date has been set as of yet for a follow up meeting between the league and Players Union.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner