To nobody’s surprise Major League Baseball and the Players Union could not come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and as a result games are now canceled through April 14. That means if you are a Mets or Yankees fan, the season won’t begin until April 15 – at the earliest.
This time the International Draft played a major role in destroying any momentum either side had to a potential deal. The International Draft wasn’t even a discussion point until Tuesday when the League tried to tie it to the removal of direct draft-pick compensation, in which teams are penalized draft picks for signing top free agents.
The players, obviously, wanted no part of it.
“A large contingent of the rank-and-file from Latin America opposes it, and player leadership, sources said, bristled at what it felt was the late introduction of it as a key issue to the league,” (Jeff Passan, ESPN).
According to Jeff Passan, the Players Union threatened to remove playoff expansion from its proposal should the League refuse to full pay and service time.
On Wednesday MLB offered three options for the Union, and they had to choose one of them to get negotiations moving forward toward a new CBA — and, of course, the 2022 season.
Those options included:
1) Studying the international draft plan, and if its not accepted by November 15 of this year, the CBA can be reopened in 2024 for discussion. Additionally remove direct draft pick compensation.
2) Remove the International draft entirely from this plan, and maintain draft pick compensation.
3) Implement the international draft in 2024 in exchange for the removal of direct draft-pick compensation.
Bottom line is the players didn’t like having the international draft shoved down their collective throats at the 11th hour, and decided to balk.
In response to the days events, Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement saying: “The clubs went to extraordinary lengths to meet the demands of the MLBPA. On key economic issues that have posed stumbling blocks, the clubs proposed ways to bridge gaps to preserve the schedule. Regrettably, after out second late night bargaining session in a week, we remain without a deal.”
In response, the MLBPA issued a statement saying: “After making a set of comprehensive proposals to the league earlier this afternoon, and being told substantive responses were forthcoming, players have yet to hear back.”
Now the sport finds itself in a huge pickle. With two weeks of the regular season now shelved, there is no telling when both sides will meet again. If they have any intention of saving even a sliver of the month of April, they need to meet sooner rather than later.
However the statements from both parties makes it seem slim to none that a deal is forthcoming any time soon.
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