Tim talks about the long-term ramifications of the MLB's Lockout and how it will affect the game of baseball. 1:14
No deal. There is a labor dispute between the MLB and its players.
Major League Baseball has decided to delay the regular season in 2022. The deadline is at 10:00 pm.
What is next? Will opening day be pushed back? The owners and players are not coming together. How long is this mess going to last?
The biggest questions surrounding the MLB labor dispute are posed by the experts.
There are a number of reasons this hasn't been done, including a deep-seated distrust of ownership, a desire to make significant gains on a Collective Bargaining Agreement that was gamed by savvy front offices, and a nationwide penchant by corporate billionaires to maximize profits no matter the blow. The pie could change but not grow larger.
The owners position was very different from the union's. It is why every counter from the league seemed to include a back-end component, like a salary floor with a significantly lower ceiling, and why proposals around minimum salaries, the luxury tax threshold and the amount of money that would fund a new player pool were nominal at best. The league waited three months to counter the union's first core-economics proposal, then six weeks to circle back after imposing the lockout in hopes of making the players cave.
The real negotiations took place in the last week of February. The union gave up on its demands for earlier free agency and revenue sharing cuts and made significant concessions on the percentage of additional players who would become eligible for arbitration early. More generous proposals were made by owners around minimum salaries, the luxury tax threshold and the additional player pool. The gap is too wide. Owners don't want to spend a lot. Players believe that they should because of the additional cash that will be provided by an expanded playoffs.
The sides will keep talking as long as they please. There was a willingness to move on issues where both sides have been entrenched, which is an obvious consequence of the league putting the deadline in place. There is a deal to be made. Everyone is aware of that. It is just a matter of finding a deal that both parties can live with, and one that avoids the awfulness that comes with losing more games.
The first two series of the regular season will not be made up. The season could start on April 8.
Absolutely. The players could report to work and play under the old agreement if Rob Manfred lifted the lockout. He is unlikely to do this because it gives players the ability to strike, and because the competitive balance tax sunset in the oldCBA means MLB would be operating without it, but the league does have that option in its pocket.
The schedule will be picked by the league. It would be very difficult to do otherwise, with tickets having been sold to specific games.
An oral history of the 1994 MLB strike. Tim Kurkjian.
The owners have the upper hand. They are billionaires and often own their franchises for decades. A few missed games is a blip on their radar over the long haul. The earning power of players is affected by the length of their careers. When games are missed, they make more sacrifice. The players will come down further to their side if the union is fractured by missing paychecks.
The MLB Players Association has been preparing for this since the last collective bargaining agreement was signed more than five years ago. The players will be paid $15,000 a month. That doesn't match their typical salaries. Expansion of the playoffs and the financial windfall that comes from it, which the union was smart to tie to a full season, are some of the leverage the players have.
The players seem to have public support in their favor. It is fair to say that the blame for a shortened season is on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. He is at the mercy of the owners who employ him, but it is his job to build enough consensus to strike a deal.
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