We’ve reached the point of the MLB lockout where games have started to be affected. Friday afternoon, MLB released this statement.
The first week-ish of MLB Spring Training has been postponed. Had Spring Training gone off without a hitch, the Phillies would have their first game next Saturday.
Eight games in total have been postponed for the Phillies. Meetings against the Yankees (2), Twins, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Tigers, Orioles, and Braves have, so far, been affected.
On Thursday night, MLB announced that for the regular season to start on time, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement must be agreed to by February 28th. The silver lining in this is that MLB also announced that they and the MLBPA will meet daily starting Monday the 21st.
While the owners and players basically agree on many economic stances in theory, monetarily, they remain far apart. The luxury tax threshold and pre-arbitration bonus pool seem to be the places in which they are furthest apart. In the luxury tax argument, MLB and the owners are offering to raise the tax from $210 million to $214 million and increase it to $222 million over the term of the CBA. The MLBPA wants it to rise to $245 million, increasing to $273 million in 2026.
While the players have budged in who can be eligible for arbitration, they’re increased their ask for the pre-arb bonus pool from $100 million to $115 million. MLB sits at $15 million in their offer.
Next week will be critical for CBA negotiations. The lockout started on December 1, 2021. Two and a half months later, things seem to be at a standstill. Hopefully, with the sides meeting more frequently and an ever-nearing deadline looming, the 2 sides can soon hash out an agreement.
Until then, check out your local minor league team’s schedule.
Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire
