MLB Rumors: Owners 'Indicated a Willingness' to Miss a Month of Games amid CBA Talks

Major League Baseball and its team owners may be driving an even harder line with the MLB Players Association as the two sides continue negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.

According to multiple reports,representatives from MLB said the league is prepared to miss an entire month of the 2022.

Evan Drellich @EvanDrellich

MLB today indicated a willingness to miss a month of games and took a more threatening tone than yesterday, sources briefed on the day’s first meeting between MLB and the Players Association tell me, @Ken_Rosenthal and @FabianArdaya. Full context of conversation not yet known.

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan

The rhetoric is ratcheting up. As @EvanDrellich said, MLB suggested in the first meeting with the MLBPA today that the league is willing to cancel a month's worth of games. What that means, or whether it's simply a threat, is unclear, but players have taken it as a clear threat.

With the start of spring training already delayed, MLB set Monday as a deadline in order to get the regular season started on time.

The league could end the lockout whenever it wants and work out a temporary accord with the players that would allow the season to run as scheduled.

Michael McCann @McCannSportsLaw

Imagine the goodwill MLB could generate if it opted to lift the lockout and play with an expired CBA (as leagues & players' unions have done--U.S. Soccer is doing that now with the men's team) while continuing to bargain with MLBPA in good faith on new CBA? I know, won't happen. https://t.co/s9eMZK6dFi

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred tried to put a positive spin on an impending work stoppage by saying it could accelerate negotiations.

The situation has largely remained the same after MLB and the MLBPA began meeting more frequently, despite the fact that there was little in the way of progress immediately after the Lockout began.

On February 10, the league planned to put forward a good faith positive proposal, but for some it hasn't materialized.

Alex Wood @Awood45

It’s fascinating MLB setting a hard deadline to play a full season for Monday. They locked us out. Had barely any contact for two months post lockout. Have yet to make a single good faith offer to even initiate real conversations to get a deal done. Just make a real offer 🤷🏻.

Andy Martino @martinonyc

After hearing players’ latest proposal yesterday, MLB increased its offer of CBT thresholds by $1 million ($214 to $215 million) in year two, with the other four years unchanged. Many agents, players, people around game took this as a sign owners wanted to miss games.

Threatening to cancel a month's worth of games, whether real or simply intended to be a form of leverage, won't help dispel the narrative that owners are perfectly happy to drag theCBA battle out as long as is necessary to break.

The players may not have been surprised by the length of the negotiations.

Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN

On the night that the owners locked out the players, Dec. 1, a longtime agent texted clients with best wishes for the upcoming holidays, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Easter, etc. -- and referenced Flag Day (June 14) as the point when the season might start.

The short-term health of MLB is good enough that it can weather a work stoppage that consumes some or all of the 2022.

The league's long-term outlook has been a little less rosy as it cedes more ground to the NBA and the NFL. The trend might be worsened by a lockout that lasts into March or later.

The consequences of MLB working at all costs to get a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that is heavily in favor of the league could be worse than the players agreeing to some issues.