Days after commissioner Rob Manfred struck an optimistic tone and said “you’re always one breakthrough away from making an agreement,” MLB made a new collective bargaining agreement proposal to the MLB Players Association.
Manfred’s public comments set the stage for a potential turning point in negotiations this weekend, but the owners’ 130-page proposal on core economics made only modest changes, according to multiple reports.
The league proposed reforms to the competitive balance tax, a penalty on big-market spending that players argue has been treated like a salary cap. Under Saturday’s proposal, teams wouldn’t be subject to draft pick penalties for exceeding the first CBT threshold. The proposal also slightly increased the threshold for the last three years of the deal, but nowhere near the $245 million the MLBPA prefers.
The owners’ proposal also addressed a bonus pool for pre-arbitration players. According to multiple reports, MLB raised their proposal from a $10 million pool to $15 million. The players asked for $100 million.
A gulf remains on the minimum salary issue, too. Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported MLB made two offers — one with a flat rate and another based on service time.
The minimum salary is currently $570,500. Players proposed $715,000.
This round of proposals didn’t include any changes to revenue sharing or arbitration years, two major MLBPA priorities according to ESPN.
Although the figures remain significantly apart, MLB’s proposal could signal the framework — tiered minimum salary, lesser penalties for CBT — it may be willing to compromise on in further bargaining.
But with the two sides still far apart, an on-time spring training appears to be a pipe dream at this point. Players would normally be packing their bags to report for spring training in the coming days. That won’t happen with the owners still locking out the players.
