Is Major League Baseball Back? Union and Owners Will Keep “Negotiating” Tuesday
Don’t put dirt over the opening of the 2022 Major League Baseball season just yet.
Major League Baseball and the Players Union were deep in negotiations overnight as both sides met until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, in hopes of hashing out some form of a deal before the self-imposed deadline squashed Opening Day on March 31. As a result, both sides agreed to keep the momentum going into Tuesday with a new deadline for a deal set for 5 p.m. today, and according to multiple reports progress was made, but there is still work to be done.
Two sides continue talking and have made definite progress. But large gaps remain in major areas, sources tell @TheAthletic. Parties now calling it a night.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 1, 2022
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, “MLB made significant moves on Monday and early Tuesday, bumping the CBT threshold to $220 million, the minimum salary to $675,000 and the bonus pool to $25 million, according to sources. The union long had pursued a CBT threshold of $245 million, a minimum salary of $775,000 and a bonus pool of $115 million, though the continued meetings on Tuesday illustrate its willingness to move off its demands. The union also dropped its proposal to increase the number of arbitration-eligible players with two years’ service from 22%.”
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
To clarify, while discussion is in the 230M range, MLB’s last offer was for 220M and union seeks 230M plus. https://t.co/zY0TylJYE3
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022
The two sides were in long talks over playoff expansion with the owners expressing a desire to expand to 14 teams, however it appears that both sides will settle for 12 teams in the playoffs (six teams per league) instead.
If the two sides agree on a deal today, it would be a miracle considering both sides were believed to be far apart on economic issues. The Players wanted more guaranteed money, a shorter time frame to arbitration and ultimately free agency, and an increase in minimum salary which was seen to be a boon for younger players and aging veterans making the minimum at the tail end of their careers.
If a deal is not struck today, the belief is that it would jeopardize Opening Day on March 31. Then again, it isn’t the end of the world if the two sides eventually come to a deal later this week, and the regular season starts a few days later in early April. If both sides still feel they are far apart and negotiations break down, then it could be an even longer process.
But signs are pointing to a resolution of some form sooner rather than later.
