No baseball equals no fun for the fans, and no fun for the fans equals no money for Major League Baseball. They know it, we know it, so it’s only a matter of time before they and the players get together and work things out.
The lockout halted one of the most exciting free agencies in years, with the Texas Rangers spending half a billion dollars on their middle infield and Max Scherzer signing a deal worth more than a hockey team’s payroll.
Neither party wants to cave in and some expected the lockout to go on for months, even pushing the start of the season back. However, a recent report states that they could work out a deal way sooner than expected.
MLB Rumors: Team Owners, MLBPA To Discuss ‘Core Economic Issues’ Pretty Soon
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, both parties will meet on Thursday for the first time since December 1 to try and sort this situation out.
“Major League Baseball has offered to increase the minimum salary from $570,500 to $600,000, which would rise to $650,000 and $700,000 through the CBA,” Nightengale reported. “The union is seeking the competitive balance tax on payrolls to increase from $210 million to $245 million while the owners have offered a raise to $214 million at the outset.”
Not Everything’s As Good As Expected
(Transcript via MLB Trade Rumors)
“Entering that meeting, the league had reportedly informed the MLBPA it wouldonly entertaincore economics discussions that didn’t involve changes to revenue sharing, six-year free agency eligibility and the existing eligibility requirements (for the most part, three years of service time) for arbitration. The union refused to accept those conditions, and the parties have been in a holding pattern since that point, with the MLBPA waiting for the league to bring forth another proposal.”
So, yeah, whether the MLBPA will be willing to even sit down to discuss those terms is yet to be seen, but with Spring Training games scheduled for February 26, we expect conversations to ramp up pretty fast.