MLB and the Players Association reportedly had a rather productive day of collective bargaining agreement (CBA) talks on Monday.
It lasted more than just a few minutes (several hours, actually, which has to be a new record considering their encounters last week), and the tone was apparently more suitable for smoother talks: both sides were looking to find solutions rather than clarify their respective stances.
However, the strides made on core economics issues weren’t significant, and there are still lots of additional things to solve.
Tanking, for example, is one of them.
According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, “MLB raised its prearbitration bonus pool $5 million, to $20 million. Still a very large gap compared to players’ proposal. MLB also proposed to allow one more draft pick to be determined by lottery, now top 4. Players had proposed 8.”
Meeting breaking up. Among MLB proposals today: MLB raised its prearbitration bonus pool $5 million, to $20 million. Still a very large gap compared to players’ proposal. MLB also proposed to allow one more draft pick to be determined by lottery, now top 4. Players had proposed 8
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 21, 2022
There Is Still Ground To Cover In Anti-Tanking Measures
The concept of the lottery is to avoid evident, full-fledged tanking to a degree: if there wasn’t a lottery, the team with the worst record in baseball would get the top pick.
If four picks are determined by lottery, the worst team in the league knows that, at worst, it would net a top-four pick.
That’s where the league is currently at.
Players, however, want the number to be at least eight because having a guaranteed top-four pick is not the same as having a guaranteed top-eight pick.
If the tanking team nets the seventh or eighth pick, their “tanking” efforts won’t be rewarded as much.
It’s still something that both sides will need to iron out.
MLB owners are likely against any anti-tanking measures, but it’s a compromise they will need to make if they want a new CBA deal soon.
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