Major League Baseball and the Players Association (MLBPA) have met every day this week at Roger Dean Stadium in effort to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and end the lockout that is closing in on being three months long.
A winter freeze has been followed by minimal — if any — progress during meetings since early January. The sessions were sporadic until seemingly being conducted in earnest this week. They were proceeded by MLB reportedly informing the union of a Feb. 28 deadline to avoid delaying Opening Day.
Even with plans to continue holding daily meetings through the end of the month, optimism from those involved has been tempered.
Furthermore, MLB reiterated their February deadline for a new CBA remains in place and going past it without a CBA would mean playing a shortened 2022 season due to canceled games, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press:
“A deadline is a deadline. Missed games are missed games. Salary will not be paid for those games,” an MLB spokesman said after Wednesday’s bargaining ended. The spokesman spoke on behalf of MLB on the condition the spokesman not be identified by name.
As it currently stands, camps did not open on time earlier this month and MLB announced Spring Training games would not be played until at least Saturday, March 5.
Among the issues MLB and the MLBPA remain apart on are minimum player salary, pre-arbitration bonus pool, Draft lottery system and competitive balance tax. Where they do appear somewhat aligned on is implementing a universal designated hitter.
MLBPA won’t approve expanded postseason if games canceled
During a press conference at the conclusion of owners meetings in Orlando, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred revealed the league and union were mutually open to implementing an expanded postseason.
However, it has since been reported MLB wants 14 teams to qualify, whereas the Players Association prefers increasing to just 12. Furthermore, the union reportedly will not give their approval for an expanded playoff format if a full 2022 season is not carried out.
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