JUPITER, Fla. – Another day has passed without Major League Baseball and its players succeeding in coming together in their discussions concerning the next collective agreement.
The players claimed to have watered down their wine a little, but the owners instead saw the day as a third setback.
The owners again raised the possibility of seeking the assistance of a federal mediator, but the players’ union immediately dismissed this option.
For the first time since 1995, Major League Baseball is in the process of having to cancel regular season games due to a labor dispute.
The owners have already indicated that an agreement must be reached by Monday at the latest to avoid a postponement of the start of the season, scheduled for March 31.
The players did not offer their opinion on a deadline.
It appears that both sides will try to use the time factor to extract concessions.
Despite everything, another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, during the 84th day of the second longest work stoppage in major league baseball.
Tuesday’s talks touched on major economic aspects for the second time in the negotiations. The clans also approached them on January 24 and 25.
The players have agreed to somewhat reduce their claim regarding eligibility for salary arbitration.
They would agree that only three quarters of players who have between two and three years of experience in the majors have access to it.
The union first wanted salary arbitration to be offered to all players with two years of service, as was the case between 1974 and 1986. It then lowered the threshold to 80% last week, then to 75% Tuesday.
Teams have countered that no matter how players concede to this request, there is no real impact, as they will not agree to any accessibility expansions.
In return, the players have toughened their demands for the minimum wage. They now want it to be set at $775,000 this season and then increase by $30,000 a year to reach $895,000 in 2026.
Their previous request was for a raise of $25,000 per season.
For their part, the owners propose a minimum wage of $630,000 in 2022, then a raise of $10,000 each season. The floor would be $670,000 in 2026.
The union estimated its concessions on Tuesday to be worth $25 million over five years.
The average of $5 million a year equates to just over 0.1% of player compensation, which reached $4.05 billion last season.
Some comparisons, but not on the main issues
Both sides have made progress on the number of first-round draft picks that would be determined by a lottery.
The players reduced their demand from eight picks to seven, while the owners went from three to four.
However, no progress has been made on the main point of contention: the luxury tax.
The players have not moved from their proposal dating from the start of the lockout on December 2.
They want the luxury tax amount to be $245 million this season and to increase to $273 million by 2026.
The owners have put on the table an increase to $214 million for the next two seasons, which they have not deviated from. The prize pool would increase by $2 million in each of the last three seasons of the agreement.
There has been no progress on the side of the amount dedicated to players who do not have access to salary arbitration.
The players are asking for $115 million, while the owners are willing to put up $20 million.
The clubs informed the union that they would not reduce the level of revenue sharing and that they would not implement a mechanism allowing players to increase their service time.
