For a third consecutive day, MLB and the Players Association are meeting to see if they can make some advances in collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations, which were stalled for weeks.
Monday and Tuesday’s meetings were significantly longer than last week’s average of 15 minutes, and while there haven’t been major breakthroughs, the sides are at least making small concessions.
Hey, it’s something!
However, they will need to pick up the pace if they want to start the regular season on time.
MLB notified the union that if they don’t reach a deal before February 28, the season beginning as scheduled, on March 31, is not feasible.
Players and owners have, therefore, adopted a more serious tone and are more open to finding solutions.
Some owners are attending the meetings in Jupiter, FL.
Players Are Well-Represented In Bargaining Meetings
Players are also present: Francisco Lindor and Max Scherzer have been going since Monday, and Wednesday welcomed two prominent MLBPA voices: Gerrit Cole and Andrew Miller.
JUPITER, Fla. — Gerrit Cole and Andrew Miller have joined the in-person bargaining party today. Both are members of the eight-player MLBPA executive subcommittee.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 23, 2022
“Gerrit Cole and Andrew Miller have joined the in-person bargaining party today. Both are members of the eight-player MLBPA executive subcommittee,” The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reported.
Zack Britton arrived to the meeting, as well.
Zack Britton, another MLBPA executive subcommittee member, has arrived. At least 5 of the 8 members are here today: Britton, Castro, Cole, Miller, Scherzer. The players are entering the stadium now.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 23, 2022
The belief is that the presence of the players will be good for negotiations: it may prompt a quicker, more fluid dialogue.
That has been a problem for months: since the lockout started in December, fluid communication hasn’t been frequent, at least until this week.
Yesterday marked the first time since late January that the sides met for two consecutive days, and we are now entering a third day of bargaining sessions.
Will the sides have enough time to hammer out their significant differences before the MLB-imposed deadline?
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