2021 Collective Bargaining Negotiations

[zambonir]

And this is really the big difference between now and 1994 I think: income inequality, which also transcends political parties (even if the anger about it plays out in very different ways). Even Bud Selig felt like a small businessman compared to these guys (and certainly Ruly Carpenter did).

[fish]

Which was the genius of Bud Selig as he got paid $20 million a year to be commissioner (and, though the league denies it, he reportedly gets a 6 million dollar a year pension).

Manfred is currently getting 11 million a year.

[zambonir]

Oh, everything about Selig's reign as commissioner was corrupt, and started this whole era. He was underpaid given what's been delivered to the owners since then! But the difference between a Selig and a Middleton is still like the difference between a waiter at Applebee's and a doctor or lawyer.

[andyb]

Jeff Passan is with Rosenthal now that this is mostly the owner's fault. "This is Rob Manfred's disaster, the league's disaster, the owners' disaster, and it's been a long time coming."

Inside the self-inflicted crisis boiling over as MLB's lockout deadline arrives

It is kind of amazing that the owners expect the players to give them expanded playoffs ($100 million more revenue) and then ugly uniform advertisements ($150 million more) and the players really get very little in return other than tiny raises in minimum salary and the CBT that are both smaller increases than baseball revenues even before those two items above.

In the latest, the owners slip out that they are OK with missing a month of games. Hopefully the players are holding firm on no expanded playoffs if that is the case:

MLB today indicated a willingness to miss a month of games and took a more threatening tone than yesterday, sources briefed on the day’s first meeting between MLB and the Players Association tell me, @Ken_Rosenthal and @FabianArdaya . Full context of conversation not yet known.

— Evan Drellich ( @EvanDrellich ) February 28, 2022

[xogfog]

If I was the players union, I would tell MLB, we are willing to cancel the whole season and in the process over the next year start a new league and leave MLB high and dry.

[andyb]

Apparently players are tweeting about playing in Japan today. Bryce:

MLB players have been quite active on social media today. Here’s Bryce Harper: pic.twitter.com/HicvVhOZcU

— Britt Ghiroli ( @Britt_Ghiroli ) February 28, 2022

[bkox]

The 14-team postseason is a very big issue at the moment. The union sees this as their biggest bargaining chip as MLB presses hard for it. Union previously agreed to 12 teams so one way or another it’s expanding.

— Jon Heyman ( @JonHeyman ) February 28, 2022

[xogfog]

If they are expanding the playoffs they really should go back to a 154 game season, not because of labor strife, just because it's too many games, do we really want playoff games in mid-November?

[bkox]

Current plan is to stay in the stadium and keep talking until a deal is done. Determination to finish this exists.

— Jon Heyman ( @JonHeyman ) March 1, 2022

[zambonir]

Are they really gonna prove Manfred right?

Sounds like they will stay at 12, from other tweets that came out.

[andyb]

Deadline extended through today at least (and really there is no reason they could not go till Friday).

MLB did move a small amount. Initial CBT at $220 million but then keeping it there for the next 2 years. Remember inflation was 7% this year so a $15 million increase would only keep with inflation and I imagine ticket and concessions prices will be up everywhere this year because, you know, inflation.

Players caved on the arbitration pool. MLB owners seem to think expanded playoffs is the only reason to have this 0-3 bonus pool. They are offering $25 million now (players at $115 million) and willing to go to 40 only if playoffs increase to 14. There does seem to be momentum towards a 12-team playoff which will be much better for the game in keeping the regular season meaningful (and provide a natural 4-division champion 8 wild card scenario post expansion).

I guess it is nice there is movement. The players will likely cave because losing a season out a 3-4 year career is catastrophic compared to any owner losses. I still wish the players hold out for much more. They really need to go to a salary cap and a defined and negotiated share of revenue. All the other issues get solved pretty easily with that.

MLB extends deadline as CBA talks go past 2 a.m.

[zambonir]

In addition to the fact that there's still no reason to cancel games just yet, I'd rather see cancelled games and a better CBA. The 0-3 players are still going to be underpaid, the free agents are still going to be overpaid, and even the service time manipulation isn't really addressed (you only get credited with a full rookie year if you are are one of the top two finishers for ROTY, which is also harder to win if they wait to call you up).

The players simply don't want a cap, but are playing under one anyway. At the same time owners would never do a floor.

[bkox]

Per MLB official: Best offer is coming before 5 EST. Sounds like a take it or leave it.

— Jesse Rogers ( @JesseRogersESPN ) March 1, 2022

[zambonir]

I mean, "leave it" means some games will get cancelled, it doesn't mean the talks are done.

[zambonir]

FWIW MLB has pumped to the media last night & today that there’s momentum toward a deal. Now saying the players tone has changed. So if a deal isn’t done today it’s our fault. This isn’t a coincidence. We’ve had the same tone all along. We just want a fair deal/to play ball.

— Alex Wood ( @Awood45 ) March 1, 2022

MLB says it will make 'best offer' before deadline

Talks broke down between MLB and the MLB Players Association on Tuesday afternoon, leading the league to declare that it will make a final offer for a new collective bargaining agreement before a 5 p.m. EST deadline.

[fish]

Players needed to come out of this with 4 things- higher minimum salary, higher tax threshold, get rid of draft pick compensation, and adjust rules to get rid of service time manipulation. so far all I see for the players is a modest bump in the minimum and a barely perceptible increase in the tax threshold. If the lower teams can't be forced to spend more, why shouldn't the teams willing to spend get a higher ceiling to help spread the money around?

[andyb]

MLB has always associated the higher spending of the large market teams with market forces that would push prices upward. More free agent bidding = higher arbitration awards, etc. It is why they are trying to characterize the loss of free agent compensation as a huge win for the players even if it is really only a factor in depressing the prices of about half dozen mid level free agents (the top of the market has never been affected much by compensation).

There is probably some truth to what MLB says, though I can't believe it is enough to push the market more than a few million higher per team. And since the CBT is really a hard cap in practice, it may not affect even that much.

[zambonir]

BREAKING: MLBPA player leaders agreed unanimously not to accept MLB's final proposal, and there will be no deal on a new collective-bargaining agreement before MLB's 5 p.m. ET deadline, sources tell ESPN.

MLB has threatened to cancel its March 31 Opening Day without a new deal.

— Jeff Passan ( @JeffPassan ) March 1, 2022

[andyb]

CBS story expands on above:

MLB lockout news: Live updates as owners, MLBPA fail to reach deal ahead of...

Always thought this was going to fail when MLB said final offer (and knowing the existing state of negotiations leaned their way after the players made larger concessions).

Some details on the offer:
MLB stayed the same on CBT ($220 million for next 3 years, rising slowly). Players moved to $238 million plus $6 million more each year (so they moved farther than MLB did even yesterday). MLB went to $30 million in pre-arb bonus pool (+$5 million) and the players went to $85 million (-$30 million). So the players again moved more than the owners.

Agreements need to be 2-sided. The players were right to walk.

MLBPA rejects MLB proposal; no deal at deadline

And a quick take that seems right to me:

At the end of the day, the players rejected the same CBA that existed before with cost of living increases which barely beat inflation, the elimination of the qualifying offer, and window-dressing draft lottery/bonus pools in exchange for half a billion in new $$ for the owners.

— Craig Calcaterra ( @craigcalcaterra ) March 1, 2022

[Dirk41]

How long can this go on? Becoming disgusted with this game.