Last week, MLB owners made most of the headlines when they said they wanted the intervention of a federal mediator to help solve the ongoing lockout.
Major League Baseball today requested immediate assistance of a federal mediator to help resolve the sport’s lockout, sources told ESPN. Under their request, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would help assist with the proceedings.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2022
The union and the league have been negotiating for a while with the hope of writing a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), since the old one expired on December 1.
The petition for mediation wasn’t well-received by the Players Association, for various reasons.
First and foremost, the owners were the ones who initiated the lockout, preventing free agent players from finding new homes, and teams from trading and performing other MLB roster-related transactions.
It doesn’t make any sense that the entity that pursued and applied the ongoing lockout wants help to lift it.
Mediation Could Delay Things At This Point
Owners can lift it whenever they want, but they want to force players into accepting conditions they don’t agree with.
Secondly, mediation didn’t help too much during the 1994 players’ strike, and that’s what players are saying right now.
Additionally, as MLB pitcher Alex Wood recently wrote on his official Twitter account, having any third party entering talks could actually drag things along, at a moment in which direct conversations between the two sides and quick resolutions are needed.
“It would probably take 2 weeks just for an ‘impartial’ mediator to get caught up enough to proceed. They’d then use an already broken system/CBA as guideline toward a new deal. Makes zero sense for anybody. Players are ready to make a fair/mutually beneficial deal! #AtTheTable,” was Wood’s tweet.
It would probably take 2 weeks just for an “impartial” mediator to get caught up enough to proceed. They’d then use an already broken system/CBA as guideline toward a new deal. Makes zero sense for anybody. Players are ready to make a fair/mutually beneficial deal! #AtTheTable
— Alex Wood (@Awood45) February 4, 2022
The first thing that jumps to the eye is the way he wrote the word “impartial”, suggesting that players don’t trust the government to help them negotiate a fair deal.
Secondly, he does make a good point: the mediator will need time to review files, talks, and where each side currently is.
In short, the mediator would need to learn every detail of the negotiation in record time, and that’s just not feasible when training camps are scheduled to open in a matter of days.
The most important part of Wood’s discourse is that the hypothetical mediator would use “an already broken system/CBA as guideline toward a new deal”.
He means the person or entity entering talks as a mediator would use the old, recently expired CBA as the foundation of a new one, and players want to change many things.
Saturday Will Be A Crucial Day
Apparently, owners won’t pursue further mediation and gathered on Thursday to come up with a new plan to approach the situation.
They announced today that the universal designated hitter rule would be implemented in 2022, and draft pick compensation would be eliminated.
Likewise, Manfred confirmed that owners will make players an improved offer on Saturday, one that will include core economic issues.
Saturday will be a crucial day in CBA negotiations, and we will all find out whether Manfred was right or if he sends another lowball offer.
Manfred: "You're always one breakthrough away from making an agreement." Says MLB plans to make more changes to offer Saturday.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 10, 2022
At this point, indeed, there seems to be no way that a federal mediator helps matters.
He could actually complicate and stall things even further, and for it to happen, the approval of the Players Association is required.
It goes without saying that they reject any mediation attempt.
NEXT: MLB Agrees To Implement Long-Awaited Rule Change
Darryl Wheeler says
Owners – you have the money, you made the investment so you should get the return on it that is equitable. But remember most of us fans can’t afford $60 tickets,$8 popcorn and $7 soda but once a year, so the more people you squeeze out the less revenue you have. Find a way to grow the pie, not make it more expensive! And not more playoff games, if your team can’t win in 150+ regular season games than we don’t need to see them in the post-season!!
Players – you have the talent we love to see, we don’t go to see the fat, dumb umpire or the big ego owner so you should be well paid. That said we all think we can play as the last man on the bench or get one out once a week like that last guy in the bullpen. Weather or not we can, may mean nothing to you but, we don’t like paying for a .153 hitter making $600,000 when we work for $30,000 – $60,000!!
So to you BOTH take a little less and Get Back to Work!!!!