The MLB Players Association and MLB met for a second consecutive day, signaling heating up talks to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and end the ongoing lockout.
On Monday, the union reportedly dropped two of its three main priorities in revenue sharing between teams and getting players to free agency quicker. But on Tuesday, the owners and union grew closer to changes to the pre-arbitration structure and increasing minimum salary.
There was no deal and the sides remains far apart on figures, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The most significant development is MLB accepting parameters of a pre-arbitration bonus pool, funded by central revenue, to reward players who record high WARs and earn awards voted on by BBWAA members. This would help young players earn more money earlier in their careers, a priority for the union.
But on that front, the MLBPA was seeking a $105 million pool; the owners offered $10 million, which the players scoffed at.
The MLB and MLBPA also made progress on increasing the minimum league salary for players with none or one year of service time, though they remain significantly apart on a figure.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for spring training in less than three weeks, on Feb. 14. If talks continue without a conclusion into February, as appears likely, spring training could get delayed or shortened.
In a contentious bargaining session this week, the idea of canceled games was reportedly mentioned, though that be mutually painful and talks are moving.
