Another deadline came and went early Wednesday morning, as representatives from the owners and players met deep into the night, emerging without a deal. However, the MLBPA is expected to respond to ownership’s latest proposal as early as today. If you chose wisely and went to bed during last night’s bargaining session, here is the latest on the CBA negotiations.

UPDATE, 8:30pm EST, 3/9/2021

After MLB announced the cancellation of more games, the mood around the negotiations appeared bleak. However, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post is reporting that MLB is still mulling over MLBPA’s counter proposal re: draft pick compensation and the international draft. Hope springs eternal?

UPDATE, 6:00pm EST, 3/9/2021

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic gives us yet another “deadline” issuance from MLB to MLBPA. Owners are giving the players until tonight to either take one of the international draft options or the discussions will conclude and games will be canceled.

UPDATE, 5:15pm EST, 3/9/2021

Ken Rosenthal reported that the union was told MLB would offer a counter today, but now owners are requiring the players to accept one of the three options before a counter will be issued. MLB sources dispute this claim. The international draft is at the center of these claims from both sides.

UPDATE, 4:00pm EST, 3/9/2021

Jesse Rogers of ESPN paints the picture from an ownership source of what it will likely take for an agreement today. He lays out three options. 1- Eliminate the QO draft pick compensation while holding off on an international draft but leaving open an out clause to reassess the draft before the completion of this CBA. 2- Agree to the financials without a draft, but the QO and draft pick compensation remain in place. 3- Take the deal as is, International Draft in exchange for a draft pick compensation removal.

UPDATE, 3:45pm EST, 3/9/2021

Multiple sources are now reporting on the details of MLBPA’s latest proposal including Evan Drelich, Jon Heyman, and Bob Nightengale with mixed opinions on hope for a deal to get done. Drelich highlights the unions’ movement in the financials, especially the CBT thresholds and prearb number. It appears the monetary figures are inching closer together, but the international draft hurdle may prove to be too tall to leap. Heyman hints MLB could make one more offer in the coming hours.

UPDATE, 3:00pm EST, 3/9/2021

First details of the MLBPA counteroffer have emerged. According to Ken Rosenthal, the International Draft is a sticking point amongst Latin American players. Additionally, the union is seeking higher CBT thresholds, more money in the prearb pool, and the elimination of the qualifying offer.

UPDATE, 2:00pm EST, 3/9/2021

The MLBPA negotiating group has just left MLB HQ. Their proposal is now in the hands of the owners.

UPDATE, 1:41pm EST, 3/9/2021

More information about the international draft has come out. Alden Gonzalez reports that MLB has updated two elements of its proposal. The draft will begin in 2024 with 5% higher bonuses for each slot, starting at $5.5125 million for the first overall pick. The draft will be 20 rounds, 600-plus picks and undrafted players can sign for up to $20,000.

UPDATE, 1:08pm EST, 3/9/2021

According to Jon Heyman the sides are moving slow today, probably after negotiating just past 3 a.m. last night. Originally the hope was to get a deal done by this afternoon but now tonight is in play. If a deal is done today, there will be a 162 game schedule with the canceled games made up on off days and extending the season a few days.

UPDATE, 12:00pm EST, 3/9/2021

Players begin to weigh in on a proposed international draft, as Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting. Former MLBer, David Ortiz, has concerns about a draft. Puerto Rican ballplayers had similar concerns after their island became subject to the current MLB Amateur Draft. Ortiz is bothered by how rapidly this would be implemented, stating the Dominican Republic is not ready for such a drastic change. The owners have identified this as one of their major points of negotiations. It is unclear if the players will concede in order to achieve the goals they have for a potential deal.

UPDATE, 11:30am EST, 3/9/2021

More from Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY on how a deal today would lead to an early April Opening Day and how games missed would be made up using doubleheaders. April 6-7 appear likely to be the start date should the good news come today.

UPDATE, 10:30am EST, 3/9/2021

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY tweets owners stuck on instituting an International Player Draft, willing to forego qualifying offers for free agents in return. Players see the QO as a limiting tag for potential free agents but have been opposed to the idea of another draft.

Maria Torres of The Athletic expands on the details of a potential international MLB draft, citing comparable current amateur draft slots and calculating how much more money could be spent on this pool of players if the owners’ proposal is included in a deal.

UPDATE, 10:00am EST, 3/9/2021

Jon Heyman of MLB Network shares the perspective of an owner on how far they believe their side has moved toward making a deal with the players, citing a $16 million increase in the CBT, $100,000 increase in player minimum salary, and $10 million more in the pre-arbitration player pool. However, we are still left to wonder if the players agree that MLB has moved enough in their direction to get a deal done today.

Meanwhile, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post relays the presence of MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred at headquarters. Manfred will likely appear behind a podium today to either announce a new CBA agreement or to cancel more regular season games.

UPDATE, 9:00am EST, 3/9/2021

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, assuredly running on fumes after last night’s marathon, suggests MLB would cancel games as early as this afternoon if no deal with the MLBPA can be reached. The players’ Executive Council is set to meet soon to review the latest offer from the owners.

UPDATE, 2:30am EST, 3/9/2021

A late-night/early morning wraps up without a deal in place. Representatives for the players request additional time to present the owners’ proposal to their Executive Council in the morning, with hopes of curating a response early Wednesday.

UPDATE, 12:00am EST, 3/9/2021

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY announces that sides would extend the initial Tuesday at midnight deadline before the owners cancel more regular games. However, extending the timeframe did not mean the bargaining would conclude, as details surfaced after midnight about the MLB proposal.

Evan Drelich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reveal movement from the owners on three critical points of these negotiations: CBT threshold, pre-arbitration pool, and minimum player salaries.

Furthermore, details of a Steve Cohen tax threshold penalty emerge, seemingly targeting the Mets owner as a threat to smaller market owners unwilling to invest similar capital into their teams. MMO’s Nate Mendelson explores this angle here.

One segment of these negotiations that haven’t been covered as deeply is a new International Draft and eliminating free-agent qualifying offers. In their Tuesday proposal, the owners linked these issues together in what appears to be one point from each side of the table. A “scratch my back and I will scratch yours” move by MLB.

Other potential pieces to MLB’s proposal included unlimited expedited rules changes during the offseason, which the MLBPA had suggested a three rule limitation. Owners increased their draft lottery number to include six teams, up from five with limits to curb small market versus big market “tanking.”. They would limit in-season options to five per player before one would need to clear waivers, granting a full year of service time to rookies finishing in the Top 2 for ROY, and rewarding teams with picks should they have rookies on their Opening Day rosters based on performance.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network had news on expanding the playoff pool to 12 or 14 teams. MMO’s Patrick Glynn gave his spin on the latter version here.

All day, stay tuned to MMO for the latest breaking news on MLB and MLBPA’s CBA negotiations!