Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association plan to pick up talks on a new collective bargaining agreement Wednesday morning after a long night of discussions produced enough progress to put off canceling more regular-season games.
Beginning Tuesday morning and ending at 3 a.m., there was nearly 17 hours of bargaining. On the 97th day of the MLB Lockout, the union requested to meet with player leaders on Wednesday before responding to the league's proposal, according to an MLB official.
The second week of the baseball season was threatened to be canceled by MLB, an act that could have grave consequences at a particularly sensitive time in bargaining. The ultimatum from the league, which locked out players, was simple: With a new basic agreement, players would report to spring training sites this week, free agency would reopen and, following a shortened spring training, a 162-game season that offered players full pay and service time would
The players spent hours Tuesday night and Wednesday discussing the league's request for an international draft, a subject that the union has in the past rejected, and that does not have significant support from a rank-and-file with nearly one-third from Latin American countries. The league's latest offer on the competitive-balance tax, which would start at $230 million in 2022, and end at $242 million in 2026, was rejected by players.
Hope is high that an agreement to save a 162-game season and prevent the parties from descending into even worse labor chaos would be reached. The league had proposed a six-team draft lottery, 12-team playoffs, and a 45 day window for MLB to change on-field rules, all of which were in line with the union's previous offer.
The removal of direct draft pick compensation left the union pondering the wisdom of changing the international system. The international market, which provides an endless supply of talent in the game, is rife with problems, foremost among them, the fact that children as young as 12 are agreeing to contracts they can't sign until they're 16. The league believes a draft would help clean up a system that has seen team officials take kickbacks for signing players and trainers give performance- enhancing drugs to teenagers.
The late night was similar to the one eight days earlier, when a 17-hour negotiating session bled into the next day as MLB was about to cancel regular-season games. The first week of the season was canceled after the parties picked up talks hours later.
Expansion of the playoffs will be removed from the proposal if the league refuses to concede to full pay and service time. With the sides unable to agree on core economics issues, the potential removal of a vital gain for the league and an additional item to bargain for the union would add even more difficulty to discussions.
After three years of major league service and six years of free agency, service-time considerations are important for players to reach salary arbitration. If they spend 172 days on a major league roster, they will get a full year of service. If more than two weeks of the season are canceled, the service would become part of any further negotiations.
The second-longest work strike in the game&s history would have ended if the sides had agreed to a deal. Baseball is in its most difficult position yet, with new obstacles to navigate as the game attempts to find its footing among an increasingly displeased fan base.
The league made a proposal that bridged the significant gap in the competitive-balance tax, a key issue as the situation became more urgent. A new basic agreement governs almost all aspects of the game.
Before the international draft discussions joined the labor talks, baseball's core economics had been front and center. The league requested a fourth tier to discourage runaway spending after moving $20 million on the first threshold. The first, second and third tiers of the CBT used to be over $20 million. The teams that exceed the number by $60 million or more would be fined.
Sources say that the league has other proposals.
The union is seeking $75 million for a bonus pool for players who haven't reached salary arbitration.
Minimum salaries will increase to $770,000 by the fifth year.
There is a shortened window for MLB to implement rules changes, among them a pitch clock, ban on defensive shifts and larger bases.
Player uniforms with advertising for the first time, with patches on jerseys and decals on helmets.
The designated hitter will be adopted by the National League.
inducements to discourage service-time manipulation.
The number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues is limited.
The talks on a new basic agreement began last year and moved slowly before the previous version expired. The league and union made little progress in the months before the players were locked out. The possibility of losing regular-season games grew stronger as a result of the 43-day gap in negotiations and the scheduled opening of spring training in February.
After a 2016 negotiation that led to drastic economic consequences, players were intent on making significant financial gains beyond 2022. Over the past four seasons, player salaries have gone down despite the fact that revenues have gone up. Over the past two basic agreements, the rise in franchise values has almost quadrupled.
The league is content with the current economic system and has pushed back on the gains players hoped to make. The uncapped system allows teams to spend less on older players to balance out the added costs of younger players.
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