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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 15:24:15 GMT -5
Mark Feinsand @feinsand · 34s Breaking news: The MLBPA has voted yes to the deal on a new CBA, per source. Deal must still be ratified, though it is expected to happen without issue.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 15:27:46 GMT -5
MLB, MLBPA Reach New Collective Bargaining Agreement
By Steve Adams | March 10, 2022 at 2:19pm CDT
After 99 days, the MLB lockout is finally drawing to a close. The Major League Baseball Players Association has voted to approve the most recent counterproposal from ownership, setting the stage for a new collective bargaining agreement to be ratified, as first reported by Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base. The new CBA will cover the 2022-26 seasons, and the transaction freeze associated with the lockout is expected to be lifted as soon as the agreement is formally ratified, which ESPN’s Jeff Passan characterizes as a mere formality at this point. The Score’s Travis Sawchik tweets that the proposal passed by a vote of 26 to 12 among the MLBPA’s 30 team representatives and eight executive subcommittee members.
More to come.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 15:56:31 GMT -5
Jon Heyman @jonheyman · 12m Union executive board vote was 8-0 against the MLB proposal but teams voted 26-4 in favor of it, carrying the day, Unusual that the general player population goes so far against player leadership.
On my scorecard, union got very good deal. $230M CBT threshold in ‘22 (9% rise), $700K minimum (23% rise), $50M bonus pool (new money). Qualifying Offer likely goes away (assuming World Draft is agreed to), universal DH, draft lottery, full service time for RoY, more.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 15:57:57 GMT -5
Andy Martino @martinonyc · 12m Sources: Owners call to ratify CBA is scheduled for 6pm. Free agency will begin immediate after. Holy crap, buckle up
ou Merloni @loumerloni · 31m Free Agency begins once ratified which should be today. Trades as well. Let’s go!!
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Post by Kimmi on Mar 10, 2022 16:38:10 GMT -5
I don't despise the owners. I think they need to concede some more, as do the players.
But don't try to tell me that the fans are their top priority. That's always been BS, not just for the owners, and not just for the players, but pretty much everywhere. I'm not being cynical here, but no one cares about Kimmi, Joey or Jon. Honda wants to sell me a Civic, and I would like to buy a Civic. That's all. Additional Rant-One question that drives me crazy is when someone asks me at a job interview, "why do you want to work here?". Well, I'd love to work here because I love cash machines. Or I love granulating equipment. Or I love the pallet industry. BS. I performed global consolidations and financial reporting. It makes absolutely no difference to me what the product lines are. I apply for a job because I need a job. And I applied here because you need someone with my skills, so I have salary leverage. And I applied because you are a $10B business and can afford to pay me real money. It would be nice if your business was a personal interest of mine, but mostly I want to get paid. Sad, but there's a lot of truth to what you say.
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Post by Kimmi on Mar 10, 2022 16:43:47 GMT -5
Jon Heyman @jonheyman · 14m Team votes are coming on now (delivered by player reps) and so far they are in favor. So far players are going against the executive council.
Union votes yes on deal
Deal is agreed to
Players vote is 26-12 in favor. Baseball will be back! Woot! It seems like there was a big turn of events over the past 24 hours.
It's about time.
I haven't read all the details of the agreement, but I'm glad they came to a consensus.
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Post by Kimmi on Mar 10, 2022 16:47:14 GMT -5
Jon Heyman @jonheyman · 12m Union executive board vote was 8-0 against the MLB proposal but teams voted 26-4 in favor of it, carrying the day, Unusual that the general player population goes so far against player leadership.
On my scorecard, union got very good deal. $230M CBT threshold in ‘22 (9% rise), $700K minimum (23% rise), $50M bonus pool (new money). Qualifying Offer likely goes away (assuming World Draft is agreed to), universal DH, draft lottery, full service time for RoY, more. Good deal. It sounds like the players were ready to play, and it sounds like they got a pretty good deal.
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Post by Kimmi on Mar 10, 2022 16:48:24 GMT -5
Andy Martino @martinonyc · 12m Sources: Owners call to ratify CBA is scheduled for 6pm. Free agency will begin immediate after. Holy crap, buckle up
ou Merloni @loumerloni · 31m Free Agency begins once ratified which should be today. Trades as well. Let’s go!! Let's go!
It sounds like things might be a little frenzied.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 17:33:26 GMT -5
MLB, MLBPA Reach New Collective Bargaining Agreement
By Steve Adams | March 10, 2022 at 2:19pm CDT
After 99 days, the MLB lockout is finally drawing to a close. The Major League Baseball Players Association has voted to approve the most recent counterproposal from ownership, setting the stage for a new collective bargaining agreement to be ratified, as first reported by Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base. The new CBA will cover the 2022-26 seasons, and the transaction freeze associated with the lockout is expected to be lifted as soon as the agreement is formally ratified, which ESPN’s Jeff Passan characterizes as a mere formality at this point. The Score’s Travis Sawchik tweets that the proposal passed by a vote of 26 to 12 among the MLBPA’s 30 team union reps and eight executive subcommittee members.
Increasing pay for younger players, advancing the competitive balance (luxury) tax thresholds in a meaningful way, implementing anti-tanking measures and eliminating draft-pick compensation took center stage among the players’ must-have goals. MLB, meanwhile, sought to further expand revenues by widening the postseason field and adding advertising patches to player uniforms. The league also pushed for, and was ultimately granted, the creation of a fourth tier of luxury-tax penalization. Additionally, ownership saw to it that a handful of grievances filed by the MLBPA over the past several years would be dropped.
Among the more notable gains for the players, they’ll now see the luxury-tax threshold jump from this past season’s $210MM up to $230MM in 2022. It will rise to $244MM over the life of the agreement. Given the manner in which the competitive balance tax has begun to function as a soft salary cap among the sport’s top-spending teams, notable advancement was vital. The 9.5% jump in the first year of the new CBA marked a notable gain for the players’ side, even if it fell shy of their initial ask.
Other notable gains for the union include a newly created league-funded pool that will provide pre-arbitration players with bonuses based on performance. After much back-and-forth, the two parties settled on a sum of $50MM (just under $2MM per team) that can be divided among the sport’s top pre-arbitration stars. The exact parameters of how that will be doled out remain unclear, but it’s a notable uptick in the earning power of the game’s young stars.
Pre-arbitration players will also see a sizable increase in their base levels of pay, as the minimum salary will jump from $570,500 to $700,000. That number will grow by a measure of $80K over the agreement’s five years, pushing the league-minimum salary to $780K by the time the 2026 season rolls around.
The players also sought to clamp down on the issue of service time manipulation, and an agreement is believed to be in place that would award a full year of service to players who finish well in end-of-season Awards voting. As with the pool, the finer details have not yet come to light. On the flip side of that equation, teams now also stand to be awarded draft picks if young players on their Opening Day roster finish well in Rookie of the Year voting.
The hope among players is that such measures will bring star players up sooner, as the issue of service manipulation was seen both as a means of tamping down players’ earning potential and also a data point in a long string of anti-competitive behaviors by clubs. Essentially, teams argued that the best players in an organization should be on its Major League roster. Along those same lines, the union pushed for a draft lottery as a means of curbing the increasingly popular multi-year rebuilds that see a team effectively tank for premier draft position. While the lottery that was eventually implemented wasn’t quite as robust as the MLBPA originally proposed, it’s expected that the first six selections of the draft will now be determined in lottery fashion.
Perhaps the key victory for the league was the expansion to a 12-team playoff field — which will reportedly secure them an additional $85MM in annual television revenue from ESPN alone. The additional profits associated with any live game (gate, parking, concessions, etc.) will only add to that total. The league also succeeded in its desire to add advertising patches to player uniforms, which will generate tens of millions in revenue itself. Rates will presumably only increase during the spotlight of the postseason, making the extra games added via the expanded field all the more lucrative.
Major League Baseball secured a provisional agreement to discuss the implementation of an international draft, setting a July 25 deadline for the two parties to come to terms on a format that would go into effect in 2024. If an agreement is reached, the qualifying offer system pertaining to free agency will be eliminated. Absent an agreement on the international draft, the two sides agreed that both the qualifying offer system and the current international free-agent system will remain in place.
It seems we could soon have some rule changes on the horizon, as the league sought the implementation of several measures it believes will improve in-game action and pace of play. While the specifics and timing remain to be seen, the stage is set for measures such as a pitch clock, the banning of aggressive defensive shifts and larger bases — if not in 2022 than in 2023. The universal designated hitter, as has long been expected, will formally go into effect under this new CBA.
MLB also pushed for revenue-sharing grievances against the A’s, Pirates, Rays and Marlins to be dropped and succeeded in having Oakland reinstated as a revenue-sharing recipient. The A’s had previously been ousted from that designation in the prior CBA. A late revelation regarding their proposal was the push for the MLBPA to drop its $500MM grievance that claimed the league did not act in good faith during return-to-play negotiations in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
Over the days and weeks to come, we’ll break out some of the finer details of the collective bargaining agreement and drill deep into the specifics of every new wrinkle. For the time being, however, the focus shifts immediately to one of player movement and the long-awaited return of the lifeblood of MLBTR: transactions! Owners are reportedly expected to ratify the new agreement on a 6pm ET call, and free-agent and trade activity can begin immediately once that occurs.
Prior to a lockout they all saw coming, teams scrambled to scoop up the offseason’s top free agents before the previous CBA expired. Thirty of MLB’s top 50 free agents were signed in an unprecedented November spending spree, with nine-figure pacts going to Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez, Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, and Kevin Gausman. Now, three months’ worth of remaining offseason signing and trading is expected to take place in roughly a four-week period, creating a frenzy the likes of which we’ve never seen. The salary arbitration process will likely bleed into the regular season. You can review the best remaining free agents here, and our series of posts on the trade market here.
The bottom line in all of this: baseball is back, and it will be back in a big way. Spring Training games will commence late next week, and April 7 is now the target for Opening Day. Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Trevor Story, Clayton Kershaw, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber and dozens of other free agents remain unsigned, while the A’s and Reds are among the teams expected to be active in trading veteran players coming out of the lockout. Stars like Matt Olson and Luis Castillo are among the most notable names expected to be on the market, and activity is expected to be nothing shy of frenetic.
As is the case with every trade deadline and Winter Meetings bonanza, we’re prepared to cover the deluge of Hot Stove activity to the fullest here at MLB Trade Rumors. After nearly 100 days with only minor league free agency, labor quarrels and countless “what if” scenarios dreaming of idyllic post-lockout days, we’re just as excited as the rest of our readers to have actual baseball transactions and actual baseball games now on the horizon. Thanks for sticking with us through it all, and let the chaos begin!
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 17:37:20 GMT -5
New CBA Officially Introduces Universal Designated Hitter
By Anthony Franco | March 10, 2022 at 3:36pm CDT
Today’s collective bargaining agreement officially introduced the designated hitter to the National League, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s certainly not a surprise, as the universal DH had been one of the earlier principles for MLB and the Players Association to settle.
The union has sought a universal DH for quite some time, with more possibility for aging or defensively-limited players to have regular roles. AL teams have increasingly used the position as a quasi-rest day for regular players rather than committing to a true full-time DH, but six players (Nelson Cruz, Shohei Ohtani, J.D. Martinez, Giancarlo Stanton, Franmil Reyes and Yordan Álvarez) tallied at least 400 plate appearances in the role last season.
Cruz, in particular, could be the most immediate beneficiary of the universal DH’s implementation. He’s a free agent but is unlikely to see much, if any, time in the field next year. The universal DH opens up the opportunity for NL teams that may have otherwise been wary to bid on Cruz. Other bat-first free agents like Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler could also see their respective leaguewide demand propped up a bit.
The league, meanwhile, embraced the universal DH as a means of aiding offense. The sport’s ever-increasing strikeout rate has drawn plenty of consternation. The leaguewide strikeout percentage ticked upwards every year between 2005 and 2020, setting an all-time record each season. Last year finally marked a stop to the record-breaking streak, as the strikeout rate marginally slipped from 23.4% to 23.2%. That’s perhaps a bit encouraging, but last year’s number still checked in almost seven percentage points above 2005’s 16.4% mark.
Pitchers aren’t the only culprit for the decrease in balls in play, but they’ve had real issues making contact. Last year, pitcher-hitters fanned at a 44.2% clip. Overall, they hit .110/.150/.142 across 4,830 plate appearances. That’s ghastly production, even by the historically low standards at the position. Their five highest all-time strikeout rates have come in the last five years of pitcher hitting. Four of the five lowest pitcher-hitters’ wRC+ (which compares their overall offensive output to that season’s league average marks) have come since 2017. However one wants to explain that trend — improved leaguewide velocities, specialization that leads to less practice for pitcher hitting, etc. — pitchers were putting up less of a fight at the plate than ever before.
The development figures to receive varying reception from fans of Senior Circuit teams (although many likely considered it an inevitability some time ago). Aside from its implementation as a pandemic protocol in the shortened 2020 season, the NL has never had the position. Most MLBTR readers, however, seem to favor its introduction. In a December poll, 62% of respondents expressed support for an NL DH; 26% were against the possibility, while 12% were generally apathetic.
The universal DH is the only official on-field rules change for 2022, but two recent pandemic protocols did not survive the CBA. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports (on Twitter) that the nine-inning doubleheader returns, as do standard rules for extra innings. The “ghost runner” provision has been scrapped.
The seven-inning doubleheaders and the extra-innings runner proved divisive provisions among baseball fans in their two years in place. They’d been implemented as part of the COVID-19 protocols, with both provisions designed to lessen player workloads during seasons that could be massively impacted by virus-related postponements. Those concerns aren’t expected to be as prominent in 2022, and it seems neither party was motivated enough to agree to implement them permanently. The league may look to reinstitute those rules at some point down the line, but they won’t be in effect for the upcoming season at the very least.
As part of the CBA, a rules committee will be created in 2023, Feinsand tweets. That committee — a group of four active players, six league appointees and an MLB umpire — will have the authority to implement an on-rules change within 45 days of recommending it to the MLBPA. Previously, the league had to wait one year between asking the union’s approval on a rules change and having the right to implement it in the event the MLBPA refused a bilateral agreement.
MLB technically no longer has sole authority to implement those changes, though its appointees will outnumber the player reps on the rules committee. That probably gives the league de facto control over rules, and it’s expected the league will try to implement three in particular — the implementation of a pitch clock, limits on defensive shifting, and larger bases — for the 2023 campaign. Feinsand suggests the automatic strike zone could also be a topic of discussion at that point, although that’ll become clearer next offseason.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 10, 2022 17:38:46 GMT -5
MLB Owners Expected To Ratify CBA At 6:00pm; Transactions Unfrozen Immediately After
By Tim Dierkes | March 10, 2022 at 3:47pm CDT
MLB owners are expected to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement at 6:00pm eastern/5:00pm central time tonight, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Transactions are set to unfreeze immediately thereafter, meaning teams will again be able to sign free agents and make trades. Upon locking out the players on December 2, MLB also instituted a transaction freeze, which ended up lasting 99 excruciating days.
We’re expecting an unprecedented level of MLB hot stove action crammed into a 28-day period, with Opening Day set for April 7. Hundreds of free agents are still without jobs, including 20 of MLBTR’s top 50 of the offseason. Click here to review the best remaining free agents, led by Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Kris Bryant, Trevor Story, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Carlos Rodon, Michael Conforto, and Seiya Suzuki. Check out the full free agent list here. To review which free agents signed prior to the lockout, click here. My ballpark estimate is that around 60 free agents will sign MLB deals between now and Opening Day. Old qualifying offer rules remain in place for this group of free agents, meaning that if new teams sign Correa, Freeman, Story, Castellanos, and Conforto, they’ll be subject to draft pick forfeiture.
Several factors will affect exactly how aggressive teams are in pursuing free agents. One is how many executives bent the rules and communicated with agents during the lockout, potentially laying groundwork for instant agreements.
Another is the new competitive balance tax thresholds. The base tax threshold will rise from $210MM in 2021 to $230MM this year, a 9.5% increase. By 2026, the base tax threshold will reach $244MM. There are three additional tax tiers beyond the base threshold at $20MM increments, the last of which is a new addition with this CBA. In 2021, only the Dodgers and Padres exceeded the base tax threshold, but five other teams came within $3.4MM of it. The teams that prefer to treat the base tax threshold as a soft salary cap now have an additional $20MM to play with in 2022.
It’s also worth considering the new anti-tanking measures agreed to by MLB and the players. They’ll be instituting a draft lottery for the first six picks, and also penalties for landing near the bottom of the standings multiple years in a row (we’ll explore that fully later). In theory, rebuilding clubs could become a little more active in the market.
An additional major CBA change that may affect free agency is the move from 10 to 12-team playoffs. The bar for entry into the playoffs has been lowered. That could push a fringe contender to acquire players. On the flip side, a team projecting itself for 90+ wins may feel certain additions are now unnecessary with fewer wins required to make the playoffs.
The universal DH is also part of the mix, with bat-first free agents like Nick Castellanos, Nelson Cruz, and Jorge Soler now becoming more palatable for National League teams.
Trading was minimal prior to the lockout, so expect a burst of activity in that area as well. MLBTR covered the 14 likeliest trade candidates, impact players with a chance to move, and 27 more regulars with a plausible chance of being traded. The Athletics, Reds, and Mets figure to be in the thick of many trade discussions. Again, it’s possible executives were conducting covert trade talks during the lockout, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know: we’re excited to switch from lockout coverage to free agency and trades. Thanks for hanging in there with us.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Mar 10, 2022 23:32:51 GMT -5
That's always been BS, not just for the owners, and not just for the players, but pretty much everywhere. I'm not being cynical here, but no one cares about Kimmi, Joey or Jon. Honda wants to sell me a Civic, and I would like to buy a Civic. That's all. Additional Rant-One question that drives me crazy is when someone asks me at a job interview, "why do you want to work here?". Well, I'd love to work here because I love cash machines. Or I love granulating equipment. Or I love the pallet industry. BS. I performed global consolidations and financial reporting. It makes absolutely no difference to me what the product lines are. I apply for a job because I need a job. And I applied here because you need someone with my skills, so I have salary leverage. And I applied because you are a $10B business and can afford to pay me real money. It would be nice if your business was a personal interest of mine, but mostly I want to get paid. Sad, but there's a lot of truth to what you say.I didn't mean it in a sad way. But even when I was growing up, and psychologists were expounding on how work fulfills you, I thought it pure hokey. I think you should enjoy your job, and be like an extension of your social life, but it is a means to an end, which is your social/family life.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Mar 10, 2022 23:39:15 GMT -5
Jon Heyman @jonheyman · 12m Union executive board vote was 8-0 against the MLB proposal but teams voted 26-4 in favor of it, carrying the day, Unusual that the general player population goes so far against player leadership.
On my scorecard, union got very good deal. $230M CBT threshold in ‘22 (9% rise), $700K minimum (23% rise), $50M bonus pool (new money). Qualifying Offer likely goes away (assuming World Draft is agreed to), universal DH, draft lottery, full service time for RoY, more. Good deal. It sounds like the players were ready to play, and it sounds like they got a pretty good deal.There was a lot of money coming into the league. Both sides were always going to do well. I'm glad that the minimum wage went up a lot, as opposed to the CBT. For some of the guys like Valdez, he might not ever even get a full-time gig. I'd like to see guys like that earn a few million, even on the fringes. What amazes me was the number of snowflakes people that said they were never going to watch again. They haven't missed a game in 28 years, soon to be 33 years, and they were melting down because the season was going to be a few weeks late. How do these people make it thru the day?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 11, 2022 4:30:06 GMT -5
MLB Owners Ratify CBA; Transactions Officially Unfrozen
By Tim Dierkes | March 10, 2022 at 5:28pm CDT
5:28pm: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter) that the owners unanimously voted to ratify the new CBA. After 99 days, the lockout and accompanying transactions freeze have officially been lifted.
3:47pm: MLB owners are expected to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement at 6:00pm eastern/5:00pm central time tonight, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Transactions are set to unfreeze immediately thereafter, meaning teams will again be able to sign free agents and make trades. Upon locking out the players on December 2, MLB also instituted a transaction freeze, which ended up lasting 99 excruciating days.
We’re expecting an unprecedented level of MLB hot stove action crammed into a 28-day period, with Opening Day set for April 7. Hundreds of free agents are still without jobs, including 20 of MLBTR’s top 50 of the offseason. Click here to review the best remaining free agents, led by Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Kris Bryant, Trevor Story, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Carlos Rodon, Michael Conforto, and Seiya Suzuki. Check out the full free agent list here. To review which free agents signed prior to the lockout, click here. My ballpark estimate is that around 60 free agents will sign MLB deals between now and Opening Day. Old qualifying offer rules remain in place for this group of free agents, meaning that if new teams sign Correa, Freeman, Story, Castellanos, and Conforto, they’ll be subject to draft pick forfeiture.
Several factors will affect exactly how aggressive teams are in pursuing free agents. One is how many executives bent the rules and communicated with agents during the lockout, potentially laying groundwork for instant agreements.
Another is the new competitive balance tax thresholds. The base tax threshold will rise from $210MM in 2021 to $230MM this year, a 9.5% increase. By 2026, the base tax threshold will reach $244MM. There are three additional tax tiers beyond the base threshold at $20MM increments, the last of which is a new addition with this CBA. In 2021, only the Dodgers and Padres exceeded the base tax threshold, but five other teams came within $3.4MM of it. The teams that prefer to treat the base tax threshold as a soft salary cap now have an additional $20MM to play with in 2022.
It’s also worth considering the new anti-tanking measures agreed to by MLB and the players. They’ll be instituting a draft lottery for the first six picks, and also penalties for landing near the bottom of the standings multiple years in a row (we’ll explore that fully later). In theory, rebuilding clubs could become a little more active in the market.
An additional major CBA change that may affect free agency is the move from 10 to 12-team playoffs. The bar for entry into the playoffs has been lowered. That could push a fringe contender to acquire players. On the flip side, a team projecting itself for 90+ wins may feel certain additions are now unnecessary with fewer wins required to make the playoffs.
The universal DH is also part of the mix, with bat-first free agents like Nick Castellanos, Nelson Cruz, and Jorge Soler now becoming more palatable for National League teams.
Trading was minimal prior to the lockout, so expect a burst of activity in that area as well. MLBTR covered the 14 likeliest trade candidates, impact players with a chance to move, and 27 more regulars with a plausible chance of being traded. The Athletics, Reds, and Mets figure to be in the thick of many trade discussions. Again, it’s possible executives were conducting covert trade talks during the lockout, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know: we’re excited to switch from lockout coverage to free agency and trades. Thanks for hanging in there with us.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 11, 2022 4:49:26 GMT -5
Why did baseball’s new CBA take so long? By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated March 10, 2022, 7:15 p.m.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Baseball is back, the welcome news coming Thursday afternoon that the players and owners finally agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Players will start reporting to spring training on Friday and you can expect a blizzard of transactions in the coming days. The schedule will be amended to play all 162 games.
Opening Day will be April 7 and for the Red Sox that means a game against the Yankees in the Bronx.
Fantastic. Hang the bunting and line the basepaths. Play ball.
Just one question: Why did this take 99 days?
You would think three-plus months of contentious negotiations and canceling a big chunk of spring training must have generated major changes in the structure of the game. But it really didn’t.
Younger players will receive higher salaries, correcting what was a clear inequity. The minimum salary will go up to $700,000 and the best young players will get bonus payments.
Teams will be able to spend more before being penalized by the competitive balance tax, which falls in line with the game’s rising revenues.
There will be a universal DH, which is probably five years overdue. Watching pitchers try to hit had become painful and playing World Series games under two sets of rules was absurd.
Two more teams will make the playoffs, which isn’t necessary but isn’t awful. There also will be a six-team draft lottery, which should cut down on teams tanking for the first or second overall pick. That was something that clearly needed to happen, too.
There also are measures to discourage service-time manipulation, which again only made sense. Even the executives who held worthy players back in the minors to cheat them out of becoming free agents in six years admitted it was a rotten thing to do.
Couldn’t this have all been wrapped up by early February? What was so earth-shaking that we all had to sit through a month of phony deadlines, media spin, competing statements, and false hopes?
The players clawed back some money and that will surely irritate some miserly small-market owners. But none of them will suffer in the slightest. They’ll cash in on streaming rights, legalized gambling, NFTs, and expansion over the course of the five-year deal.
Baseball left the important stuff on the table. Changes to improve the pace of play and amount of action on the field won’t be discussed until next year when a seven-person committee will make decisions on a pitch clock, shifts, and other new rules.
The adjustments to the financial structure won’t matter over the long term if baseball doesn’t improve the product it’s trying to sell the public. The game should be fun to watch, not a chore.
It’s a relief that the owners and players finally agreed to a new CBA. But this process laid bare the distrust and contempt in that relationship.
Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged his failings in that regard.
“One of the things I’m supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players. I’ve tried to do that. I have not been successful at that,” he said.
For now, enjoy the coming weeks as teams rush to take care of all the business on hold since Dec. 2 when the owners locked out the players. Freddie Freeman is among 138 free agents set to resume looking for a spot after a freeze on roster transactions was lifted with the signing of the new CBA.
Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw, and Trevor Story are still free agents, and the payroll-slashing Oakland Athletics figure to make players such as Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Sean Manaea available.
Japanese star outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who has been waiting since December to pick a team, will finally fulfill his dream of going to the majors.
After a cold winter for ticket sales, the market may not be welcoming to second-tier free agents and creative teams could supplement their roster in unexpected and inexpensive ways.
The Red Sox fell two games shy of the World Series last season and are positioned to make a big financial move if Chaim Bloom feels now is the time after two years of carefully resetting the roster and farm system.
But even absent that big splash, the Sox need bullpen help, a corner outfielder, and an infielder capable of playing second base.
It will be fun seeing what happens before Opening Day. After a winter of frustrating inaction in conference rooms, the focus will back on the field where it belongs.
Red Sox-Yankees on April 7. Can’t wait.
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