Several owners and about 25 players are set to meet for a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, as MLB tries to reach a deal with the union on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
It hasn’t been easy so far: both sides are firm on what they believe they deserve, and no one has really budged to this point.
That way, there will be no deal soon.
The problem is that the league imposed a hard deadline on players to sign a new deal on Monday, otherwise they would risk losing games and, therefore, pay.
The players hadn’t responded to the “deadline” proposal, but it wasn’t as much a proposal as much as an imposition.
Owners say that, if there is no deal by Monday, the season won’t start on time, and games would be lost.
Not only that: they said they wouldn’t be rescheduled, and pay would be lost for good.
It’s clearly a strategy to put some pressure on the players, who obviously want to play all 162 games and are willing to maneuver between doubleheaders and few days of rest.
Players Are Clearly Not Happy With MLB
Players are furious with owners.
It’s fascinating MLB setting a hard deadline to play a full season for Monday. They locked us out. Had barely any contact for two months post lockout. Have yet to make a single good faith offer to even initiate real conversations to get a deal done. Just make a real offer 🤷🏻.
— Alex Wood (@Awood45) February 24, 2022
“It’s fascinating MLB setting a hard deadline to play a full season for Monday. They locked us out. Had barely any contact for two months post lockout. Have yet to make a single good faith offer to even initiate real conversations to get a deal done. Just make a real offer,” San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood said via Twitter.
The players’ main issue with owners is that they haven’t made even one competitive offer.
Yesterday, owners proposed to raise the minimum salary to $640,000 in 2022, $10,000 per year until reaching $680,000 in 2026.
Players want to start at $775,000: that’s how far apart the sides are.
Negotiations will continue on Thursday.
Will there be good news to report?
NEXT: MLB Star Notes The Hypocrisy Of The Lockout