Last Thursday was a new low for MLB and the Players Association.
They were supposed to meet for the MLBPA to make a counterproposal to the owners’ latest offer, but the meeting lasted only 15 minutes.
It was a slap in the face for media and fans, above all.
The union delivered their proposal and, after the MLBPA and MLB representatives had another short talk, everybody was heading home.
This time, however, they seem to be making some progress, as MLB and MLBPA’s first encounter of the week lasted a little over an hour and 10 minutes, and both sides left for a small break in Jupiter, FL.
BREAKING: the MLB/MLBPA meeting has lasted more than 15 minutes.
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 21, 2022
Will They Be Able To Negotiate A New CBA Before The Deadline?
The sides have a lot to discuss before approving a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), given that the old one expired in December.
They are still far apart in minimum salary (MLB wants a tiered structure or a flat $630,000 salary, while the league wants $775,000), competitive balance tax (CBT, where players are fighting to soften penalties imposed to teams for exceeding the luxury tax), expanded playoffs, tanking, service time manipulation, and several more items.
A deal being closed in the next few days remains unlikely given the large gap existing between the two sides, but this week is all about making progress.
Will the parties show a willingness to make concessions for the other?
It remains to be seen, but the league circled February 28 as a crucial date.
That would be next Monday: if there is no deal by then, the start of the regular season could be delayed.
The league has already had to push back the start of spring training because there is no CBA deal.
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