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As you can see, I started two new threads. This one is focused on the new CBA to replace the one that expires in December 2021.
(The Cooperative Bargaining Agreement is the legal document that is the result of negotiations between owners and players that define many of the areas of MLB operation, including how much money goes to players. CBAs typically run five years.)
The other thread, not this one, is about the one-year only decisions that need to be negotiated on top of the current CBA before MLB can play in 2021. The 2021 terms may get hammered out ahead of the 2022 CBA.
It would be too good to be true if they could handle both 2021 and 2022-2026 with a single set of negotiations. But the uncertainty that will continue into 2021 will likely keep owners wary of making five-year commitments any earlier than necessary.
I have a feeling this thread is going to bring about a lot of “rolaids moments” over the next 12-18 months. All I can say is that if the 2022 season is interrupted or cancelled due to any kind of labor/ownership issues after two consecutive seasons of dealing with covid issues it will be extremely difficult for MLB to recover. Surely the knuckleheads involved realize this.
I think the smartest thing the players union and owners could do would be to commit to going to an independent arbitrator if negotiations aren’t wrapped up by X date. I doubt they would do that, but the game can’t afford to have more acrimony at a time when fans are having far too much of it from other avenues.
Owners have too much at stake to risk going to an independent arbiter, I suspect. Plus they might have to open up their books more fully, which is something they are going to want to avoid.
Well, this is a depressing story even if it is partially true:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/10/rob-manfred-mlb-debt-revenue-losses-commissioner.html
Given the uncertainties of 2021 I would like to see both sides agree to cancel the CBA for 2021 and start negotiations on a new contract now. Let a lockout or strike happen in this upcoming season.
I wonder how much you would have to pay ownership to do that? Would $1B be enough with all the covid uncertainty?
Today was not a good day for Tony Clark. I also expect we will be hearing from Boras by tomorrow at the latest.
Let the Rhetoric Wars begin!
I wish this lawyer would get a blog or something. This is another string of a half-dozen tweets. The essence of it is that he thinks it takes a year for this type of negotiation from start to end so if they don’t get started soon, they won’t make it.
The owners may be motivated to stall because they know the players want changes they don’t want to yield on.
A delay of CBA negotiations is an agreement to an extension of the current CBA. We already know how the players & their Union feel about the CBA. They are disappointed & want to change several articles. MLB wants to keep the status quo because it benefits the owners. I can't /1 https://t.co/GQuPu1J43d
— eugenefreedman.bsky.social (@EugeneFreedman) October 30, 2020
Right on cue, Boras makes his statement, though so far it appears positive. Though his choice of words concerned me. When I think of people being caught up by waves in the ocean, the first thing I think of is drowning. Then he switched to spiraling bases. It seems he tries to be too clever with his wordplay…
“Because there’s waves in the ocean doesn’t mean we don’t have an ocean,” Scott Boras said. “And we have an ocean of success in this game, we have an ever-growing economic base that’s going to continue to spiral up.” https://t.co/o5OTJwE64Y
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 30, 2020
Peter Gammons illustrating why there will be a major battle over the next CBA. Player salaries flat as revenues increase.
the current MLB CBA was signed in Dec., 2016. Players' ave. salaries, measured each April:$4.45M '17. $$4.41M '18, $4.38M '19, $4.43M '20. Same years, owners revenues(per Forbes):$9.75B, $10B, $10.3B, $10.7B.
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 19, 2020
So, the owners’ revenue was up in 2020 even though only 60 games were played? I wonder where Forbes got their data. I can see where they can figure players’ salaries, but I don’t see how they can accurately figure revenue.
Sunday notes: The 2016 CBA has had precisely the impact that a lot of agents and club executives anticipated four years ago, and now the have/have not salary dynamic is in the player ranks. https://t.co/qcrwOOSKJR
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 20, 2020
Salary cap, or not, no more megacontacts. Spread the money around so that any kid that makes it to the majors gets to be a millionaire. This complaining about a salary cap is rooted in the agents not being able to secure those megacontracts. If an agent doesn’t get more money than the similar player who precedes the player he is representing, it makes the agent look bad.
That said, one thing to keep in mind about the next CBA, in my opinion, is that if the players truly want to eliminate the effective salary cap, then the salary cap will be effectively eliminated. When the players challenge the owners, the owners ultimately back down and lose the challenge. There is no reason to expect anything more than that coming up.
Nothing much of substance but at least there was a meeting.
MLB, MLBPA Hold First CBA Talks https://t.co/dxWrlMiz7Y pic.twitter.com/juSS8MfQSH
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) April 21, 2021
Manfred downplays any talk of lockout if labor agreement isn’t reached by Dec. 1. My latest for @Sportico. @MLB @MLBPA_News @Grampskie @soshnick https://t.co/NJtmaKDF9C
— Barry M. Bloom (@Boomskie) April 27, 2021
I’d like to see the kids struggling along in the low minors make a living wage – at least equal to what they could make working full time at McDonald’s – right now I think many of them make next to nothing.
As always, when it comes down to the money, everyone wants to ‘get theirs’.
But sadly, minor leaguers have no one at the bargaining table representing them. The MLBPA does not. In fact, their track record is to disadvantage minor leaguers at the expense of gains for MLB players. There is no reason to believe that will change.
MLBPA increasing the size of its war chest in case of a strike.
https://apnews.com/article/business-baseball-mlb-sports-f541d843904849eb8aac48686ccc9e79
Bad blood from 2020 is continuing. No way this won’t affect current negotiations. Half a billion in damages is being requested by the players.
In July, Manfred appeared to slip up on the radio. The moment this happened, you expected a bad-faith grievance from the MLBPA.
The union has now followed through with a $500M claim alleging that Manfred delayed talks in order to shorten the MLB season. pic.twitter.com/JNeO4pMC0N
— Dan Lust, Esq. 🎙 (@SportsLawLust) May 19, 2021
So, the owners’ revenue was up in 2020 even though only 60 games were played? I wonder where Forbes got their data. I can see where they can figure players’ salaries, but I don’t see how they can accurately figure revenue.
Good question, mudville. I looked it up, and the years are off on that tweet. The $10.7B number was for 2019, $10.3B 2018 etc.
2020 revenue dropped to a little under $4B.
MLB Planning To Reinstitute Pitcher Limit On Active Rosters In 2022 https://t.co/6lNTs0CkUp pic.twitter.com/0e0Rep4Us8
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) May 30, 2021
I am sure the union would go for the payroll floor but not the ceiling.
MLB Reportedly Proposes $180MM First Luxury Tax Threshold, $100MM Salary Floor To MLBPA https://t.co/LZOz6J6hLV pic.twitter.com/04a56h40HZ
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 18, 2021
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