On Wednesday, another week of baseball’s reduced schedule disappeared, after negotiations stalled again when it was thought that an agreement was already being reached. Suddenly, when everything was already focused on one of the most important issues, a cascade of new requests broke out that could make for a long and cold spring between owners and players.
For the second time in two weeks, talks on a new collective bargaining agreement collapsed. Now, according to the league, no games will be played until at least April 14.
If the delays continue, MLB will miss the games on April 15, when the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s major league debut would be celebrated.
In a statement, the players’ union called the cancellation of additional games “completely unnecessary” and said the league had refused to respond to the union’s most recent proposal.
On March 1, three months after the owners closed the fields, Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended the first week of the regular season. When owners and players resumed discussions this week, the league offered to reschedule those games as part of a new deal, providing a full 162-game season and full pay for players.
Now, with what the league sees as likely too many games to reschedule, the players’ union would ask that a new deal pay players and credit them with service time for games not played. The union has previously warned the league that it would not approve an expanded postseason this year if players are not paid for a 162-game regular season.
At the same time, the owners would likely cite revenue losses from the canceled games and could offer less favorable terms in key areas the two sides were almost in agreement on Wednesday: how much to pay players who aren’t eligible for arbitration. salary and how much a team can spend without paying a luxury tax.
All those concerns would not have come into play had a deal been reached on Wednesday, but the two sides were unable to agree on one last central issue: an international draft.
The owners proposed launching one in 2024, so that a teenager from the Dominican Republic would enter the MLB in the same way as a teenager from Los Angeles. Currently, international amateur players are free agents.
The league previously limited the amount teams could spend on international amateurs, but individual players can still strike unofficial deals many years before the official signing age of 16, with local coaches often demanding a cut of any transfer bonus.
Players in Latin America’s major leagues support reform but are wary of the league, with a history of cutting costs, imposing its own system, even as the league expects teams to spend more money on international amateur players than they do now. David Ortiz, who remains particularly influential among Dominican players even in his retirement, suggested to ESPN that an international draft might be worthwhile if discussed between the league and the union.
In the Dominican Republic, unlike the United States, baseball is the undisputed national sport, with dreams built on the shoulders of national heroes like Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martínez and Albert Pujols.
“Take your time, that makes more sense,” Ortiz said. “Let’s maintain this pace of talks to do it within three or four years. We sit down with the big players. We listen to what they have to say. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right. Rushing it like that is not right.”
Amid resistance within the union, the league offered three options. If the union accepted the international draft, the owners would allow free agents to be signed without their new team losing draft picks. If the union refused, draft pick compensation would be upheld.
The third option would have been to finalize a new CBA now, including the elimination of draft pick compensation, and then give the union until Nov. 15 to accept the international draft. If the union refused, the league could reopen the CBA after the 2024 season, essentially turning a five-year deal into a three-year deal.
The union responded with a different offer, centered on November 15: If the players did not agree to the international draft by then, the parties would revert to the current system, with the qualifying offer back in effect.
The owners quickly canceled another week of games.
“In a last-ditch effort to preserve a 162-game season,” Manfred said in a statement, “we have made good faith proposals this week that address the specific concerns expressed by the MLBPA and would have allowed players to return to the field immediately.”
He added: “I am saddened that this situation continues to affect our game and everyone who is a part of it, especially our loyal fans. We have the utmost respect for our players and hope that they ultimately decide to accept the deal they have been offered.”
Within two hours, the league decided to consider the union’s offer and discussions took place late Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the talks.
In its statement the union said: “The players want to play, and we can’t wait to get back on the pitch with the best fans in the world. Our top priority remains the completion of a fair contract for all players, and we will continue to negotiate to that end for every tournament he plays in.”
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