MLB and the Players Association have finally shown a sense of urgency in collective bargaining agreement (CBA) talks: for a third straight day, they have gathered in the same room to keep bargaining.
Up until this week, the meetings were usually short and showed no progress at all.
During the three sessions that have taken place this week in Jupiter, FL, both sides have talked longer and have shown a willingness to negotiate, even if progress per se has been minimal on core economic issues.
New York Post writer Ken Davidoff reported in the afternoon that the two sides were taking a break: “They were together for about an hour and 40 minutes.”
We have a break in the #MLB negotiations. They were together for about an hour and 40 minutes.
— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) February 23, 2022
Will The Sides Reach An Agreement Before Monday?
MLB and the Players Association are working to reach an agreement before February 28, which is the date sate by the league as the “deadline”: if there is no deal by that date, the season likely won’t start on March 31 as scheduled.
The Players Association never officially responded to that deadline’s proposal, and they aren’t obligated to.
However, players surely would love to reach a deal by then so they can report to spring training and have about a month to get ready for the season.
They won’t agree to anything out of a rush, so they are expected to remain at the table and push for a better deal.
Most of the issues at the moment are on core economic items, such as the competitive balance tax (CBT), the minimum salary, and the bonus pool compensation for outstanding players between 0-3 years of service time.
Both sides remain hopeful that the situation won’t drag for much longer, but everything remains on the table right now.
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