MLB Lockout Approaching With No Deal Imminent
At 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, Major League Baseball will officially be in a work stoppage. After weeks and days of intense negotiations, both the owners and the players union are…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11: The New York Mets and New York Yankees stand side by side during ceremonies honoring the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks prior to a game between the two teams at Citi Field on September 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
At 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, Major League Baseball will officially be in a work stoppage.
After weeks and days of intense negotiations, both the owners and the players union are no closer to a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement. The last time Major League Baseball had a full work stoppage of any kind it was the infamous 1994-95 strike that canceled the second half of the '94 season, including the playoffs and World Series, and delayed the start of the '95 season.
It was during that 1994 season that the Montreal Expos and New York Yankees appeared to be on a collision course in October. Of course that never happened; that season has seen been ripe for "what if" discussion on sports talk radio for decades now.
Since that time, for the most part, there has been labor peace between baseball's owners and players, even in an era where baseball had to grapple with the steroid crisis of the late-90s and 00's.
Sticking points between the two sides include:
- Players desire for faster path to free agency. According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, players want free agency at 29.5 years of age if they have achieved five years of service time.
- Players want arbitration to begin after two years instead of three years.
- Players also proposed revenue generating, by allowing sponsors to be on their jersey's.
- Players propose a 12-team playoff and realignment of the divisions from three per league to two divisions per league, which would be similar to the way baseball use to form its divisions prior to the 1995 season. The 12-team playoff, however would be a massive change.
- Players asked for luxury tax threshold increased to $240 million from $210 million.
Owners haven't been moved according to reports.
- Owners instead proposed a 14-team playoff where there would be three division winners and four wild card teams per league.
- Owners proposed a NBA Draft Lottery style for future drafts.
How long will the lockout last? No one knows for sure. It could be a couple days, weeks, or even months. Reports indicate both sides want to have it hammered out this winter before spring training begins in March. As the lockout nears, many free agent players have already nabbed big contracts under the old CBA in order to have a place before the lockout hits.
