MLB and the players’ union have broken any existing records on consecutive days of meetings, with nine.
It’s hard to remember when exactly they met for so many straight days, as negotiation rounds since the owners implemented the lockout were few and far between.
That changed last Monday, though, as the league and the Players Association finally showed some urgency to get a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) done.
Today, however, will be their last bargaining session in Jupiter, FL, whether there is a deal or not.
“MLB players union gather today for the ninth and final day of negotiations, at least in Jupiter, Fla.,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote on Tuesday.
MLB players union gather today for the ninth and final day of negotiations, at least in Jupiter, Fla. pic.twitter.com/8SubO20YYN
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 1, 2022
The Sides Appear Eager To Negotiate Now
Both sides are apparently eager to finish a deal: they stayed up negotiating until late into the night on Monday, and met again today.
Additionally, there was a deadline to get a deal finished by yesterday: the sides considered they made enough strides to extend the deadline for today in the afternoon.
Despite the considerable differences that still remain in key economic issues, such as the minimum salary, competitive balance tax, and bonus pool for outstanding pre-arbitration players, the league is confident there could be movement towards a deal on Tuesday.
If there isn’t, however, it looks like the sides will take at least a few days off and reframe their respective approaches.
Theoretically, neither side wants to extend negotiations beyond today because it will mean that regular season games will be lost, and those won’t be rescheduled.
In any case, fans, players, media, and outside observers are paying close attention to Twitter for potential (good) news.
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