Talks between MLB and the Players Association restarted today in Jupiter, FL, at Roger Dean Stadium, and the New York Mets are in the center of the action.
We will tell you why, but first, some context.
Besides MLB and the MLBPA attorneys and representatives, some owners and players made the trip, too.
The hope is that the presence of many of the people actually affected by the negotiations can jumpstart the talks and accelerate them, ahead of MLB’s imposed “deadline.”
The league told the union last week that a new collective bargaining agreement needs to be reached before or on February 28, otherwise the season is in serious danger of being delayed.
Spring training has already been delayed: games through March 5 won’t occur, and the rest of the calendar depends on this week’s progress.
The Mets Have Some Prominent Union Voices
Besides a handful of owners, about ten players showed up according to Newsday’s Tim Healey.
And around 30 percent of the players present in the meeting are members of the Mets.
“Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are among 10 players who have arrived at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. The meeting between MLB and the MLBPA is scheduled to begin shortly,” Healey tweeted a few minutes the meeting actually began.
Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are among 10 players who have arrived at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. The meeting between MLB and the MLBPA is scheduled to begin shortly.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) February 21, 2022
The two sides met for over an hour before taking a break.
Some of the most important issues to discuss, like minimum salary, competitive balance tax (CBT), bonus pool for pre-arbitration players (owners want to “reward” 30 players, the union wants 150), expanded playoffs, service time manipulation, and others remain up in the air, far from being settled.
It’s likely that a deal won’t occur today or tomorrow, but if the sides can get significantly closer this week, it could be considered a real win given that they are currently very far apart.
The Mets have several vocal players’ advocates, most notably Scherzer, and the franchise has almost a third of the players in the midst of all the action.
