Sources: union drafts counteroffer to MLB

Major League Baseball Players Association officials are preparing a written response to MLB’s latest offer for a new collective bargaining agreement, which preceded the league’s cancellation of the first week of the regular season, they said. ESPN sources familiar with the union’s plans.

It’s unclear when the sides will meet, and as the league’s union lockout nears its 100th day, the MLBPA will need approval from player leaders before presenting any parameters on a potential deal. to the league after rejecting his proposal Tuesday afternoon.

Commissioner Rob Manfred officially canceled the first two series of the season on Tuesday, the last time the sides faced each other. The league, which has said it wants four weeks of spring training before the season starts, could cancel another set of games if a deal isn’t reached quickly. On Friday, MLB canceled spring training games through March 18.

During a meeting Thursday that included deputy commissioner Dan Halem and chief union negotiator Bruce Meyer, the league asked the union to provide a written document outlining its proposals. Although the gap between the sides narrowed during the nine days of negotiations in Jupiter, Florida, the sides were unable to reach an agreement, falling far short of the competitive balance tax threshold and other issues.

The CBT, or luxury tax, remains the sticking point in the negotiations. In its latest Florida proposal, the union requested a CBT threshold of $238 million for the first year that would grow in the fifth year to $263 million. The league proposed that the threshold start at $220 million, stay there for three years and end at $230 million. A significant gap remains in the proposed bonus pool for players who have not yet reached salary arbitration: $85 million for players versus $30 million for owners.

While the players have agreed to a playoff expansion from 10 to 12 teams, they would consider expanding to 14 — MLB’s preferred number — but only if the three-game wild-card series includes a unique provision. To incentivize winning a division, players proposed using a “game in hand” or “ghost win”, in which a division winner in a three-game wild card series would start the series with “one win” and only need one win. plus. to advance.

After the Florida sessions, amid the disappointment of the lost games and the possibility that spring training would quickly evaporate, the sides returned home with no agreement. As in 2020, when in the early days of COVID-19 they struggled to come to an agreement on a playing season, the union and the league have spent months exchanging proposals but have not reached an agreement.

The last time MLB missed a game was in 1995, at the end of a bitter strike that ended the 1994 World Series. The last time it missed a scheduled Opening Day was in 1990, when the sides reached an agreement. On March 18th. The start of the season was delayed and 162 games were played.

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Sources: union drafts counteroffer to MLB