MLB and the Players Association are currently negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA): after months of rough talks that went nowhere, the sides finally showed some progress on Monday.
That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a new deal today.
That doesn’t mean there will be an agreement this week, or next.
And finally, that doesn’t mean the agreement, when finalized, would be a fair one for players.
But the sides are currently working, and finally, it appears both of them want a deal done soon.
That doesn’t take away the fact that MLB has been an absolute mess in the last few years.
“Things MLB has done since 2019: – multiple cheating scandals – cut 42 minor-league affiliates – fought players on 2020 season until it was only 60 games – Manfred called WS trophy “a piece of metal” – locked out players. Things MLB has not done: – made baseball better,” were the words of Girl At The Game and FanSided’s Gabrielle Starr.
Things MLB has done since 2019:
– multiple cheating scandals
– cut 42 minor-league affiliates
– fought players on 2020 season until it was only 60 games
– Manfred called WS trophy “a piece of metal”
– locked out playersThings MLB has not done:
– made baseball better
— Gabrielle 🌻 (@gfstarr1) February 28, 2022
The League Is A Magnet For Scandals
In 2017, the Houston Astros executed a complex, high-tech scheme to steal signs from opponents, and the Boston Red Sox did something similar in 2018.
The league’s punishment was considered extremely light and it was attacked by it.
A few years later, in 2020, the pandemic really got the worst out of the owners.
They tried to pull every trick in the book to get their way and even include some of their wishes, like runners on second in extra-innings and expanded playoffs.
More importantly, they made sure the season was only 60-games long.
After that, in the winter, they decided to eliminate 42 minor league affiliates, making a lot of people lose their jobs in the process.
That was also the year in which MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred infamously called the World Series trophy a “piece of metal”, in a derogatory way.
Imagine fans’ disappointment to hear their own Commissioner, the man who is supposed to help baseball grow, speak like that.
Then, in late 2021, the owners proceeded to lock out players, forcing them to negotiate under their terms and times.
Let’s not forget about the Hall of Fame’s broken system for induction, and how some of the game’s best players are still on the outside looking in.
They are trying to make sure they ruin baseball by the time the players take the field again.
NEXT: MLB's Final Offer To Players Is Not A Good One