Every season after the Super Bowl, MLB fans know their time is coming: usually, pitchers and catchers report to their respective camps just days after NFL’s biggest game of the season.
That is not the case this year, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reminded the world today.
Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report today.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 15, 2022
Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report to camp today to officially start spring training.
However, MLB owners and the Players Association haven’t been able to hammer out their differences and sign a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Without a new CBA (the old one expired in December 2021), there is no governing instrument for baseball-related matters.
MLB made a proposal to the union on Saturday, and while the players are still approaching the best way to respond, there is no deal looming.
There Are Lots Of Obstacles To Overcome In Negotiations
Players want the minimum salary to be closer to $775,000 (it was $570,500 in 2021), and the league offered either a flat $630,000 payment or a tiered distribution that wasn’t well-received.
That, and the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) are perhaps the biggest obstacles to overcome.
Other issues related to the competitiveness of the league, such as tanking and service time manipulation, remain discussion topics.
Owners basically want to keep making the most money in the industry, and they have been adamant to meet most of the players’ demands.
The sad truth of it all is that fans are the ones suffering the most.
Many of them are starting to really dislike the situation, and have heavily criticized owners and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Today was supposed to be a day to celebrate and start checking reports about which players seems to be “in the best shape of their life”.
It’s instead a day of uncertainty, and the league officials, starting with Manfred, are to blame.
