It has been 60 days since Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred held the press conference that initiated the MLB lockout.
There have been several face-to-face meetings between the Major League Baseball Players Association and MLB’s bargaining team since the master locks came out, but a new competitive bargaining agreement has not been reached. The last meeting took place Feb. 1 — the second one in eight days — and it only made headway on two issues, The Athletic reporter Evan Drellich said.
Follow-up talks about economic issues have not been scheduled at this time. However, small groups will meet again Feb. 2 to discuss non-core economic issues.
What are those small 90-minute sessions going to change?
The only thing that has happened since the beginning of negotiations is the MLBPA having to bend at the MLB’s will. It dropped its original bonus pool proposal for pre-arbitration players from $105 million to $100 million. Also, it dropped the proposed number of players that would be eligible for a year of service based on wins above replacement. Originally, the union proposed the top 30 or top 10 in their position, now they’re saying top 20 or top seven.
One of the largest arguments, the minimum salary, still remains up in the air. The league proposed starting salaries at $615,000 Jan. 25, which would increase the 2021 salary by $44,500. However, the union was not confident in that number. It fired back with a proposal for $750,000, which would be the largest minimum salary increase in two years.
Negotiations are not going backward, but they’re not going forward either. They’ve been circling the same issues like hawks, and it leaves players without contracts on the edge of their seats.
Only 61 free agents signed contracts before the lockout began. There are still 130 free agents left without a home once the season begins. Several notable players, like three-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw, still sit on the table and won’t move until the lockout is over.
Spring training is set to start in less than three weeks. If spring training doesn’t start on time, neither will the regular season, but that’s not one of the league’s worries.
Industry revenues had increased 53% to an estimated $10.4 billion before the pandemic in 2019. Meaning, the MLB has some extra cash on hand. One would think that it would be using the boosted revenue to help the shuttering minor league teams, or pay the players, but that is not the case.
MLB has left the minors to turn to Congress and they’ve left those who were on a 40-man to turn to either playing in an independent league or to stare at their phones waiting for a call to say they can play again.
However, it is not worth it for major league players to go play in an independent league because they’d be wrapped up in another contract if the season did begin. The MLB doesn’t even let its players take a break for the summer olympics; why should it allow them to play in other leagues?
The lockout is no longer a scare tactic; it’s a stalemate. The MLB needs to be willing to work with the MLBPA and not force it to squander its ideas. There would be no MLB without the players.
It's high time the MLB starts to consider their cries.
Ashley Beach is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Ashley know by emailing her at ab026319@ohio.edu.
