A letter to baseball fans

To our fans:

I first want to thank you for your continued support of the great game of baseball. Last season, we were reminded how the national pastime can unite us and restore our hope despite the difficult challenges of a global pandemic. As we began to emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history, our stadiums were filled with fans; the games were full of excitement; and millions of families felt the joy of watching baseball together.

That is why I am so disappointed in the situation our game is in today. Despite the league’s best efforts to reach an agreement with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26-year history of labor peace and reach an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired. Therefore, we have been forced to begin a Major League Baseball lockout, effective at 12:01 am ET on December 2.

I want to explain to you how we got here and why we have to take this action today. Simply put, we believe that an off-season lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jump-start negotiations and lead us to an agreement that allows the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the vision of the Players Association for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It is simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from its initial position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.

When we started negotiations on a new agreement, the Players Association already had a contract that they would not trade for any other in sports. Baseball players are not capped and are not subject to a maximum duration or dollar amount in contracts. In fact, only MLB has guaranteed contracts that last 10 or more years, and more than $ 300 million. We have not proposed anything to change these fundamentals. While we’ve repeatedly heard that free agency is “broken,” $ 1.7 billion was pledged to free agents in November, breaking the previous record nearly four times. By the end of the offseason, clubs will have committed more money to players than in any offseason in MLB history.

We worked hard to find a compromise while making the system even better for players, addressing the concerns raised by the Players Association. For the first time in baseball history we offered to establish a minimum payroll to be met by all clubs; allow the majority of players to reach free agency earlier through an age-based system that would eliminate any claims of serving time manipulation; and increase compensation for all young players, including raising the minimum wage. When negotiations lacked momentum, we tried to create some by offering to accept the universal designated hitter, create a new draft system using a similar lottery to other leagues, and increase the competitive balance tax threshold that affects only a small number of teams.

We have had challenges before regarding making labor agreements and we have overcome those challenges each time during my tenure. Sadly, it appears that the Players Association came to the negotiating table with a strategy of confrontation rather than compromise. They never wavered collectively in the most extreme set of proposals in their history, including significant cuts to the revenue sharing system, a weakening of the competitive balance sheet tax, and shortening the length of time players play for their teams. All of these changes would make our game less competitive, not more.

To be clear: This difficult but important step does not necessarily mean that the games will be canceled. In fact, we are taking this step now because it accelerates the urgency of a deal with as much track as possible to avoid damaging the 2022 season. Delaying this process further would only put Spring Training, Opening Day and the rest at risk. of the season, and we can’t let an expired deal cause a season strike and a lost World Series again, as we experienced in 1994. We all owe you, our fans, better than that.

Today is a difficult day for baseball, but as I have said all year, there is a path to a fair settlement, and we will find it. I have no doubt that the League and the Players share a fundamental appreciation for this game and a commitment to its fans. I remain optimistic that both parties will seize the opportunity to work together to grow, protect and strengthen the game we love. MLB is ready to work day and night to meet that goal. I urge the Players Association to join us at the table.