According to a report by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Major League Baseball and it’s Players Union ae currently at an impasse when it comes to coming to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Rosenthal states that the owners will consider voting to lock out the players if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a new CBA by December 1, when the current deal between the two parties expires.
After hearing for quite awhile that this was nothing but a formality and there being nothing to worry about, things are suddenly taking an interesting turn. The owners are said to be upset by the slow pace of negotiations with the players.
Commissioner, Rob Manfred, will be on the hot seat to help facilitate a deal between the two parties with the deadline quickly approaching.
“We don’t negotiate in the press,” Manfred said. “We remain committed to the idea that we’re going to make an agreement before expiration.”
It is believed that owners conceded to eliminate draft-pick compensation in free agency in exchange for creating an international draft. Players though reportedly want no part of an international draft at this time.
“We are not afraid of a lockout,” an anonymous player said.
There are other issues at hand between the two sides, more information can be found in Rosenthal’s article that details the contentions between the two sides. It would be quite the disaster if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement as we look to the 2017 season just around the corner.
