UPDATE, 3/6/22 at 4:39 PM EST

The MLBPA made its counterproposal feature some concessions, but not enough to move the needle. The MLBPA reduced its pre-arbitration pool offer by $5 million to $80 million, and they gave MLB the ability to change rules on pitch clocks, the size of bases and shifting with 45 days’ notice. MLB previously would have to give a year’s notice on rule changes. The MLBPA didn’t adjust its stance on the competitive balance tax.

MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin called the proposal “worse” than the MLBPA’s last proposal on Monday. He also said the two sides are “deadlocked.”

UPDATE, 3/6/22 at 1:54 PM EST

MLB and the MLBPA’s latest meeting Sunday ended after just over an hour-and-a-half, according to The Athletic‘s Evan Drellich.

Details on the meeting will likely surface within the hour.

UPDATE, 3/6/22 at 12:56 EST

MLB and the MLBPA are joining to formally meet for the first time since MLB canceled games after the two sides didn’t reach an agreement by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

The players are expected to counter MLB’s last proposal.

In addition to the core economic issues in the game, there are plenty of on-the-field rules both the MLB and players want to discuss. According to ESPN‘s Jesse Rogers, MLB wants to institute a 14-second pitch clock with the bases empty and a 19-second pitch clock with runners on. Rogers says “MLB determined less time was needed for pitchers with the bases empty and more time with them occupied” after an experiment in Low-A ball with 15- and 17-second pitch clocks. Game times in those games with pitch clocks were cut by an average of 20 minutes.

UPDATE, 3/5/22 at 2:56 EST

The union and MLB will meet once again on Sunday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He added that the union plans to give MLB written proposals to all of its latest offers.

Andy Martino of SNY reported that Max Scherzer has made the case for “ghost win” in public. MLB subsequently agreed to 12 teams and considered the “ghost win” “viable.”

UPDATE, 3/4/22 at 16:10 EST

Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the players union has approached MLB with an offer to re-open talks about a 14-team playoff format, a structure that they previously turned down.

Olney reports that the idea is they can exchange this for more flexibility on the CBT numbers and other issues.

UPDATE, 3/3/22 at 14:49 EST

Michael Silverman of the Boston Globe reports that the 90-minute meeting between two lead negotiators from MLB and the two lead negotiators from the players association did not include any formal proposals.

The next meeting between MLB and MLBPA has not been scheduled yet.

UPDATE, 3/3/22 at 12:39 EST

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that MLB is hoping to implement three different rules in the near future and all have been discussed recently in CBA talks.

  • Banning shifts
  • Oversized bases
  • Pitch clock

Nightengale notes that those rules currently can’t go into effect before the 2024 season and MLB wants them to start during the 2023 season.

UPDATE, 3/3/22 at 9:49 EST

Multiple reporters are saying that the lead negotiators, Dan Halem for MLB and Bruce Meyers for the players, will have an informal one-on-one meeting today in New York.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 4:00 EST

A flurry of reports on proposals are coming in now. It looks like the season will be delayed.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 3:45 EST

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 3:24 EST

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 3:00 EST

Things have turned sour at the negotiations. Bob Nightengale reports that MLB plans to make one final offer but considering what happened in Jupiter on Tuesday it is tough to see them reach an agreement.

Jon Heyman adds that an MLB official told him they thought they had a “path to a deal” last night. The same official said MLB will make one final best offer.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 2:17 EST

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 1:33 EST

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 12:20 EST

Two hours and 20 minutes since the sides arrived they have yet to meet in person says Evan Drellich. Although that doesn’t mean they haven’t spoken since phones exist.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 11:44 EST

In case you were interested in what a 12-team playoff will look like, Buster Olney breaks it down.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 10:51 EST

Heyman is updating his prior report saying it won’t be part of the CBA deal because there are more pressing matters at hand.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 8:46 EST

Jon Heyman reports that MLB has suggested the union drop its 2018 grievance against the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates for failing to spend its revenue sharing monies as part of a deal. If it happens there is the belief that the four small-market owners will be appeased after concerns over the luxury tac threshold rise.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 2:27 EST

Jeff Passan lets us all go to bed. There will be no deal tonight. But, the deadline to regular-season games being canceled has been moved to 5 p.m.

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 12:47 EST

UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 12:00 EST

The deadline from MLB is here. No one is moving according to multiple reports. They’re still working.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 11:45 EST

According to Bob Nightengale, MLB and the MLBPA have reached a compromise that there will be a 12-team postseason.

Additionally he reports that there will be tweaks made but the luxury tax penalties will be similar to the last CBA.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 8:45 pm EST

We’ve got another glimmer of hope, people! This one is coming from Drellich, who says says that while a deal isn’t close, it’s not impossible to get done. Here are some of the main issues being discussed and the two options MLB has proposed:

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 8:19 pm EST

Well, don’t get your hopes up, but Heyman just tweeted that there’s “momentum” in talks, and there’s even a little optimism. What exactly that means, we’re not so sure, but it’s the kind of update we haven’t heard in quite some time, so that has to be a good thing.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN is also reporting that an MLB spokesperson said they’re not done meeting for the night. Hold on to your hats, party people.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 4:10 pm EST

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, one of the sticking points between MLB and the players association is the fact that the league is pushing for a 14-team postseason, which hasn’t been well received from those who would actually be playing October baseball.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 4:01 pm EST

Both sides have been working — even if it’s not face-to-face — for about six hours, but it’s not over yet with a deadline breathing down their proverbial necks. Drellich noted that meetings between MLB and the MLBPA aren’t done yet and they’re planning on meeting again.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 3:43 pm EST

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred went to the players’ side to chat in person, but he was only there for about 40 minutes, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. We could really use some of his Twitter magic to speak a new agreed-upon CBA into existence.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 1:27 pm EST

At least for right now, it seems like the league’s threat of being willing to miss regular-season games is real, and it’s not amazing. Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports that MLB is willing to miss up to a month of games to get what they want, and their tone is more “threatening” than it was on Sunday.

Remember, this was the first meeting between both sides in what will likely be a long day. Talk about setting the tone.

UPDATE, 2/28/22 at 11:17 am EST

Reports told us on Sunday that MLB and the MLBPA would be starting their meetings at 1oam EST on Monday, which is much earlier than the typical 1 pm start time we’ve been seeing. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the first bargaining session of the day just began, as league officials walked over to meet with the players.

Original Article

Well, folks, the day has come. It’s Monday, February 28th, which is the self-imposed deadline made recently by MLB for which a new CBA needs to be agreed upon so regular-season games don’t start getting canceled.

The league and the players union are set to start meeting at 10 am EST on Monday, which would be the eighth straight day both sides are negotiating face-to-face. How likely is it that we’ll actually see a deal come together before the deadline passes? It doesn’t seem very high at the moment.

We did hear reports of “productive” talks coming out of Sunday’s discussions, but many reporters are being sure to temper expectations. After all, having productive talks isn’t the same as gaining momentum toward a deal being agreed upon. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reiterates the league’s intention to cancel games without an agreement by the end of Monday, which is a threat the union has never actually believed. They plan on negotiating the schedule if it comes to that, and they’d have a case to do so.

Of course, if this were to come to pass, it takes two sides to tango, which is something that hasn’t necessarily been happening since the lockout was put in place back in December.

What if this work stoppage continues to linger, though? The MLBPA has been preparing for this moment, and they have a mountain of money ready to assist players if the season is delayed. Starting Tuesday, players will receive a $5,000 stipend, and that number jumps to $15,000 on April 1st, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. According to Maury Brown of Forbes also notes that the union has nearly $180 million total saved for player compensation in this specific situation.

It should be a day filled with plenty of news and rumors. We’ll continually update this article with any new developments that get revealed throughout the day. Let’s hope that by the end of it, we can actually get excited about baseball season because we’ll know when it’ll start.