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.”
MLB’s Glen Caplin: “We were hoping to see some movement in our direction to give us additional flexibility & get a deal done quickly. The Players Association chose to come back to us w/a proposal that was worse than Monday night & was not designed to move the process forward”
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 6, 2022
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.
Once the union formally responds, and barring a stunning surprise, MLB is expected to make their official announcement of a delayed 2022 regular season.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 1, 2022
Sources: Players are expected to vote no on the “best and final” MLB proposal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022
UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 3:45 EST
MLB's best-and-final offer:
– No changes to CBT thresholds (220/220/220/224/230)
– A $5M increase on pre-arb bonus pool from $25M to $30M
– An increase of minimums from $675K to $700K, moving up $10K/year— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 1, 2022
UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 3:24 EST
MLBPA’s most recent CBT proposal (MLB’s most recent in parenths for comparison):
2022: $238m (220)
2023: $244m (220)
2024: $250m (220)
2025: $256m (224)
2026: $263m (230)— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022
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
Word is the players union lowered their bonus pool ask to less than $100M. (Exact figure not known.) MLB was last at $25M. Seemingly a decent sized gap remains.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022
UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 1:33 EST
With 3 hours, 30 minutes to go until MLB’s newly chosen deadline, the sides are meeting for the first time today, as Dan Halem, Morgan Sword and Pat Houlihan head over. The union was speaking with its players for much of today. pic.twitter.com/S5eldNBhdy
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022
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.
This is the way the 12-team playoff MLB field would likely work: Top two teams in each league get first-round byes, and the other eight teams would play a first-round best-of-three.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 1, 2022
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.
There will be no deal on a new collective-bargaining agreement in this early hour, sources tell ESPN. Enough progress was made that MLB and the MLBPA will meet again later today in hopes of finalizing one. Deadline to miss regular-season games has been moved to 5 p.m. today.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 1, 2022
UPDATE, 3/1/22 at 12:47 EST
Current plan is to stay in the stadium and keep talking until a deal is done. Determination to finish this exists.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022
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.
There still will be some tweaks but the luxury tax penalties will be similar to the last CBA: 20%, 32% and $62.5%
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 1, 2022
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:
Sources: Deal not close, but not impossible. CBT thresholds, prearb pool big issues, among others. MLB has proposed two choices:
A: 14-team expanded postseason, minimum of ~$700k, ~40m into prearb pool
B: 12-team expanded postseason, ~$675k minimum, ~$20m into prearb pool
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022
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.
They could start the season on April 5 and play 162 games in 178 days to end on October 2, which would preserve original postseason start date.
That means even with ~30 days to ramp up, could get a deal done by March 7 and still make a full season work https://t.co/DYm0DQhpxa
— JB (@JeffreyBellone) February 28, 2022
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.