After a couple of failed negotiations last week in which there was virtually no progress, MLB and the Players Association are set to start a crucial week on Monday.
The two parties had a meeting set for 1:00 pm ET, in which they were expected to discuss core economic issues such as minimum salary, bonus for outstanding players between 0-3 years of service time, competitive balance tax, revenue sharing, and others.
The league officially has about a week to negotiate a deal with the players.
That’s a deadline MLB itself set last week and notified the players.
MLB believes they have until February 28 to negotiate a deal without affecting the current timeline of the regular season.
If they haven’t been able to negotiate the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) by that date, then the season probably won’t start on time.
The First Day Of The Rest Of Our Lives
That was the confirmation from Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes: “Hello from the first day of the rest of our lives (an alleged week straight of daily labor negotiations!) MLB has indicated a deal needs to be done February 28 for the regular season to start on time. It is February 21. Sides meet at 1 pm,” she wrote.
Hello from the first day of the rest of our lives (an alleged week straight of daily labor negotiations!) MLB has indicated a deal needs to be done February 28 for the regular season to start on time. It is February 21. Sides meet at 1 pm.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 21, 2022
Players need about four weeks of spring training to fully prepare for the regular season, which is scheduled to start on March 31.
That date is still very much in the air and depends on how much progress the two sides can make this week.
With MLB’s ability to compromise and make concessions very much in doubt, it’s not a given that the regular season starts that date.
Both sides, however, remain hopeful that will be the case.
Several owners and players will be present in this week’s meetings.
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