Two more days of intense negotiations did not end in a new collective agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.
With no deal in hand, MLB announced Wednesday that a second week of games had been pulled from the schedule, bringing the total for each team to four canceled series during the first two weeks of the season.
Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
“In a last-ditch effort to preserve the 162-game season, 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. The Clubs took extraordinary steps to meet the substantial demands of the MLBPA. Regarding the economic issues that have been seen as stumbling blocks, the Clubs proposed ways to close the gaps and be able to preserve a complete schedule. Unfortunately, after our second session of negotiations until late at night, we are still without an agreement.
“Due to the logistical realities of our schedule, two other series will be pulled from the schedule, which means Opening Day is postponed to April 14. We worked hard to reach an agreement and offered a fair deal with significant improvements for the players and our fans. I am saddened by the continued impact of this situation on our game and everyone who is a part of it, especially our loyal fans.
“We have the utmost respect for our players and we hope that in the end they will choose to accept the fair deal they have been offered.”
The two sides appeared to move closer to a deal after MLB made some changes Tuesday night on the competitive balance sheet tax (CBT), the pre-arbitration bonus fund and the minimum salary, but a proposal on the international draft proved to be the biggest hurdle on Wednesday.
According to one source, MLB has proposed eliminating the qualifying offer system — meaning there would be no more direct compensation in the form of draft spots tied to free agents — in exchange for examining the implementation of an international draft. . The parties would have until November 15 to decide whether to implement an international draft beginning in 2024. If the MLBPA did not agree by that date, the league would then have the option to reopen the CBA.
The league also proposed eliminating the international draft option and keeping the qualifying offer system, but the MLBPA did not agree with either idea.
MLB’s offer for an international draft would have included a 5% bonus increase at each spot, with the top pick receiving $5.5125 million. The 20-round draft would have included more than 600 players, while undrafted players could later have signed for up to $20,000. According to one source, the draft position would not be based on team records, unlike the Rule 4 draft, but rather clubs would be rotated.
The proposal made Wednesday by MLB included a move to the CBT threshold, starting at $230 million in 2022. From there, it would go up to $232 million in 2023, $236 million in 2024, $240 million in 2025 and $242 million in 2026. In its latest proposal, the MLBPA was asking for a threshold of $232 million in 2022, rising to $250 million in 2026.
The minimum salary offer made by the league is now $700,000 in 2022, rising to $770,000 in the fifth year. That leaves MLB just $10,000 short of the MLBPA’s latest proposal, which starts at $710,000 and escalates to $780,000 in 2026.
MLB also raised its offer for a $30 million pre-arbitration bonus fund to $40 million, even though the union was asking for $65 million. The league proposed that the figure remain at $40 million each year, while the MLBPA’s proposal included a $5 million increase in each year from the CBA.
After 17 hours of negotiations on Tuesday, the association asked for more time to speak with its board of directors before officially responding to the league’s latest proposal. The MLBPA responded by submitting a new proposal, although the gap between the two parties was still too great.
