The MLB Players Association and MLB met again on Tuesday to negotiate the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement, but like previous sessions, talks reportedly didn’t go far.
Based on the lack of progress and the timing, an on-schedule spring training is “in grave danger,” ESPN Insider Jeff Passan reported. He added it “would take a miraculous deal coming together to rescue” spring training, which is supposed to begin with pitchers and catchers reporting in roughly two weeks.
The Giants’ first spring training game, as of now, is on Feb. 26 in Scottsdale.
According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, the next meeting on core economics is to be determined.
Last week, the MLBPA made concessions on how quickly players can reach free agency and by scaling back its revenue sharing proposals. But owners have been unwilling to budge on several key issues, creating massive gulfs.
The major sticking points now are a minimum salary, arbitration and pre-arbitration reform, a draft lottery, the competitive balance tax and service time manipulation. Drellich and Ken Rosenthal broke down all those issues in detail.
Some owners and players participated in Tuesday’s 90-minute session, Drellich reported. The rift between the two sides can be seen in their proposals for a bonus pool for pre-arbitration players: the MLBPA offered $105 million before bringing it down to $100 million, while the owners countered with a $10 million pool.
MLB’s Opening Day is scheduled for March 31. The longer negotiations seep into February, and eventually March, the more imperiled the season’s start becomes.
