Despite MLB and the Players Association taking baby steps towards a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), there is still no deal, and new obstacles appear every day.
Just when we thought both sides were close on core economic issues such as the competitive balance tax (CBT), the minimum salary and the pre-arbitration bonus pool, the league is trying to convince players to accept an international draft.
The league already extended Tuesday’s deadline to have a deal in place: if not, more games would be cancelled.
They moved the deadline to Wednesday, and the sides are still bargaining.
It looks like we are going to get some news today: whether they are good or bad it’s entirely up to the owners and player.
We Will Have Some News Today
According to Boston Globe’s Michael Silverman, there are three paths for today’s talks to go.
“This could go a few ways 1) League & owners love every last detail of players’ counter-offer, rush to sign it & it’s ovah. (Ha). 2) They like it OK, don’t love it, spend next 6 hours tweaking & finding 23 owners to agree on next proposal. 3) They object, strongly: Games lost. 4) ?” he tweeted.
This could go a few ways
1) League & owners love every last detail of players’ counter-offer, rush to sign it & it’s ovah. (Ha)
2) They like it OK, don’t love it, spend next 6 hours tweaking & finding 23 owners to agree on next proposal.
3) They object, strongly: Games lost.
4) ?— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) March 9, 2022
You can go ahead and rule out the first option, since it’s highly unlikely that the league will get closer in their CBT threshold offer, minimum salary, and take away the qualifying offer if the players don’t accept the international draft.
Option number two remains a possibility: there are significant hurdles to clear, but considering some of the players’ position regarding the international draft, it’s looking more difficult by the hour.
MLB fans all over the world are putting in their best thoughts for owners to avoid option number three.
Will they?
NEXT: MLB May Have Another Late Night On Wednesday
