MLB owners commenced a lockout of the players following the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement on Dec. 1. Here is the latest on where things stand with the work stoppage…
Feb. 16, 8:39 a.m.
MLB and the MLBPA are expected to meet again later this week, but that session has not yet been formally scheduled, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The last time the two sides met was this past Saturday, when the league submitted a new proposal to the union.
The union has not yet responded to the latest proposal.
With commissioner Rob Manfred saying last week that spring training would likely have to be about four weeks long and that players would be able to report within a week of a new CBA being agreed to, the two sides probably have until Feb. 24 or so to reach a deal in order to prevent regular season games from being lost.
Feb. 15, 10:08 a.m.
The MLBPA is still deciding how to respond to the league’s recent proposal, which was submitted on Saturday, reports Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
Per The Athletic, the next collective bargaining session between the two sides has not been scheduled.
The league’s proposal on Saturday moved a bit in the direction of the players when it comes to minimum salary and some other issues, but did not really move at all when it comes to the luxury tax.
One of the key sticking points for the MLBPA is the luxury tax threshold and the penalties that come as a result of teams exceeding them. In the league’s latest proposal, exceeding certain thresholds came with the loss of a draft pick, including the loss of a first-round pick for exceeding the highest one — a penalty that will almost certainly be a non-starter for the MLBPA in negotiations.
Feb. 14, 8:28 p.m.
Major League Baseball asked for the ability to cut “hundreds” of minor league playing positions in its latest proposal to the MLBPA, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Currently, teams are able to hold 180 minor leaguers in their system, but they wanted to lower that number to “below” 150, says Passan. The MLBPA will formally reject the proposal that would allow MLB to cut that number from 180 to 150.
This comes despite a five-round MLB Draft in 2020, cutting 42 minor league teams that same year, and a joint agreement between MLB and the MLBPA to cut future drafts down from 40 rounds to 20.
Feb. 14, 10:38 a.m.
With very little movement between MLB and the MLBPA as the lockout rages on, spring training has already been delayed (though there has been no official announcement about that) and the on-time start of spring training games (set for Feb. 26) is in serious danger.
The next — and most important — thing on the calendar is the likely drop-dead date for being able to have Opening Day (scheduled for Mar. 31) on time.
In other words, what is the latest possible day MLB and the MLBPA have to agree to a deal before regular season games are lost?
The above is something the league included in its latest proposal to the players, though the date hasn’t been revealed to the public.
But going off what commissioner Rob Manfred said last week about how long spring training needs to be and how much time will be needed between the end of the lockout and the start of spring training, it’s easy to come up with the potential drop-dead date.
Manfred said on Thursday that once a deal is reached, it should take less than a week to get players to camp. As far as a potential length of spring training, Manfred said players would need roughly four weeks.
If spring training is 28 days long, that means it technically has to start by Mar. 3 in order for Opening Day to happen. But that doesn’t factor in days for breaking camp and traveling to wherever each team’s regular season is starting, so let’s say spring training has to start by Mar. 1.
Going off the above, and Manfred’s statement that there will be less than a week needed to get players to camp once the lockout ends, it’s fair to believe that an agreement on a new CBA needs to be reached by around Feb. 24 in order for Opening Day to happen as scheduled — avoiding the “disastrous outcome” of lost regular season games that Manfred talked about last week.
Feb. 12, 1:57 p.m.
There is still no deal after MLB and the MLBPA met on Saturday afternoon.
It was expected that no deal was going to be agreed upon, but the meeting lasted less than an hour, according to Joon Lee of ESPN, as the players’ association was “unimpressed” with MLB’s offer.
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich says union officials are “underwhelmed,” and Lee added that “very little progress” was made.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers said there was no movement on revenue sharing or arbitration, “two major sticking points for the union so far,” ESPN says.
Jon Heyman did hear from two players’ “side people” who said the offer was “not as (terrible) as most expected,” but the general consensus seems to be disappointment.
MLB offered to eliminate draft pick penalties for teams exceeding the first tax threshold, and they also offered to raise the threshold in the final three years of the deal. The league also offered a higher salary for third-year players from $700,000 to $725,000, as well as a $630,000 salary for all pre-arbitration players, and the teams could give them a raise if they see fit.
Feb. 12, 10:38 a.m.
The two sides will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday in what may be the most important meeting to date.
MLB is expected to make an offer to the players’ association, which could make or break how negotiations go moving forward.
If there is no deal agreed upon (which is expected), spring training will almost certainly be delayed, and depending on how the negotiations go, the start of the regular season will be in doubt.
If there were no lockout, players would already be reporting to spring training, so there is definitely pressure on both sides, but maybe more so on the owners’, to get something done sooner rather than later.
Feb. 10, 4:11 p.m.
Francisco Lindor spoke with SNY’s Andy Martino on Thursday outside the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., and discussed whether the players are willing to lose regular season games if their demands aren’t met.
“At the end of the day, we just want a good deal,” Lindor told SNY. “If that’s what it comes down to. We don’t want to do it. We want to play the full season. But if that’s what it comes down to. We continue to come to the table and bring good things, so we’re ready.”
Lindor, who hadn’t yet seen Rob Manfred‘s comments earlier on Thursday, said the players remain united.
“The players are very aware of everything that’s happening,” Lindor said. “They’re very educated. Everybody’s together.”
Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge also attended the meetings on Thursday, and was pleased with the outcome from the players’ side.
“A lot more guys showed up than I expected, which is great. It turned out great, just looking forward to getting this thing done,” Judge said.
Feb. 10, 11:18 a.m.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday for the first time since the lockout started, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he’s optimistic a deal will be reached that allows Opening Day to happen on time on Mar. 31.
“I see missing games as a disastrous outcome for this industry,” Manfred said from the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., with him adding that a deal is “always one breakthrough away.”
Manfred also said he is not yet prepared to officially delay the start of spring training (scheduled to begin on Feb. 16), with the league set to unveil its new proposal to the players during a meeting on Saturday.
Whether spring training starts as currently scheduled (which would be surprising at this point) is a tiny aspect in the grand scheme of the lockout, especially because a full six-week spring training is not needed in order for the regular season to begin on time.
Manfred explained that once a deal is reached on a new CBA, it should take less than a week to get players to camp. As far as a potential length of spring training, Manfred said players would need roughly four weeks.
Manfred also revealed that the two sides had officially agreed on a universal DH, said free agent draft pick compensation has been eliminated, and noted that expanded playoffs in 2022 are possible.
When asked what the players’ top priorities were and what was holding up a deal, Manfred was evasive.
Throughout the negotiations and in public, the MLBPA has repeatedly cited an increase in the minimum salary, an increase in the luxury tax threshold, and parameters put in place to eliminate service time manipulation as key elements they want addressed.
Feb. 9, 9:27 p.m.
The league will submit a counteroffer to players after the owners meetings in Orlando conclude on Thursday, according to SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino.
According to multiple reports, the next negotiation session appears set for Saturday, marking the two sides’ first negotiating session in 11 days.
Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the offer will involve core economic issues, and “hope remains that it could trigger something to get a deal done on time for the regular season to begin as scheduled, or close.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will speak from the owners meetings on Thursday, with the industry belief being that he will announce a delayed start to spring training, originally set to being Feb. 16.
Feb. 9, 1:23 p.m.
Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole was the latest player to weigh in on the lockout as MLB and the MLBPA remain at odds.
“I was at our PA meeting in AZ and it was exciting to see solidarity this high,” Cole tweeted on Wednesday. “We had 100+ players show up and are united to protect the integrity of the game.”
Many of the players and MLBPA officials are meeting this week in Arizona.
Meanwhile, the quarterly MLB owners meetings are currently taking place in Orlando, Fla., where commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to speak on Thursday.
With the on-time start of spring training (scheduled for Feb. 16) in peril and the league recently reneging on making a counteroffer to the MLBPA, there are no meetings scheduled between the union and the league.
Feb. 7, 12:46 p.m.
United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has communicated with MLB a willingness to get involved to help facilitate the end of the lockout.
“I have spoken to both the MLBPA and MLB about the ongoing contract negotiations and encourage both sides to continue engagement,” Walsh said via a spokesperson. “Like any contract negotiation in any industry, I stand ready to help facilitate productive conversations that result in the best outcome for workers and employers.”
Walh’s offer to assist comes days after the MLBPA rejected a request from the league for a federal mediator to join the process.
The league’s request for the federal mediator was blasted by the players, many of whom took to social media to voice their objection.
MLB owners will meet in Orlando, Fla. from Tuesday through Thursday for their annual meetings. Per Jon Heyman, the MLBPA believes owners will send a new proposal in the coming days.
The on-time start of spring training, which is scheduled to begin in nine days, is very much in doubt.
Feb. 5, 11:39 a.m.
This is the first MLB stoppage during the social media era – Max Scherzer and Jameson Taillon took to Twitter to express their frustrations.
But Mets reliever Trevor May took to a live stream, and had much to say about the MLB commissioner.
While predicting that spring training will be lost, the reliever said Rob Manfred has not negotiated in good faith with the players, and is instead doing what he can to win the labor battle, rather than provide fair opportunities for both parties.
“He’s just not somebody who is not gonna use every ounce – him and all of his people that he put around him, his team and all the executives, are going to leverage every single ounce of, like, everything… because it’s not in good faith,” May said. “This isn’t a mutually beneficial situation. They want to win.”
“So in the past, there’s been an element of respect for the game of baseball and tradition and a romantic [feeling] – they like baseball. Those things are not on Rob’s radar. They’re just not that important to him. It’s just that simple. He just doesn’t really think about the fan as a fan, he doesn’t really think about the player as people, he thinks about all of us as a dollar sign, and he wants to move the pieces in order to maximize the number of dollar signs that go to his bosses. That is just the way that it is…
“I don’t know him. I don’t know him as a person. I just know that he does it over and over and over and over… It’s all just manipulation, and it’s all a chess board move. It’s just this big chess game, and this chess game needs to go to the very, very end to get the maximize benefits for the owners. So this is not gonna be in good faith negotiation. Not a single negotiation with the guy has been in good faith. He doesn’t do good faith things. Good faith things ‘I want you to come out in this situation where you’re happy, but I also want to be happy.’ This is more of, he goes, ‘As long as I’m happy, I don’t care if you’re happy.’ That’s the way that it’s being approached. ‘Good faith’ needs to stop being said. It’s bad faith. Good faith doesn’t exist, so stop acting like it was even a possibility. It’s not the way he operates.”
Feb. 4, 3:32 p.m.
After the MLBPA rejected the league’s request for a federal mediator to help facilitate the end of the lockout, numerous players, including Mets right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer, took to social media to express their displeasure with the league.
“We don’t need mediation because what we are offering to MLB is fair for both sides,” Scherzer tweeted. “We want a system where threshold and penalties don’t function as caps, allows younger players to realize more of their market value, makes service time manipulation a thing of the past, and eliminate tanking as a winning strategy.”
Around the time Scherzer and other players were making comments of their own, MLB released a statement doubling down on the already-rejected request of mediation:
Our goal is to have players on the field and fans in the ballparks for Spring Training and Opening Day. With camps scheduled to open in less than two weeks, it is time to get immediate assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help us work through our differences and break the deadlock. It is clear the most productive path forward would be the involvement of an impartial third party to help bridge gaps and facilitate an agreement. It is hard to understand why a party that wants to make an agreement wold reject mediation from the federal agency specifically tasked with resolving these disputes, including many successes in professional sports. MLB remains committed to offering solutions at the table and reaching a fair agreement for both sides.
Feb. 4, 1:30 p.m.
The MLBPA has officially denied MLB’s request of a federal mediator.
“Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to the Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, and instead requested mediation… The clearest path to a fair and timely agreement is to get back to the table. Players stand ready to negotiate,” the Players’ Association said in a statement.
It is unknown when the next meeting between the two sides will be.
Feb. 4, 12:40 a.m.
It was reported on Feb. 3 that the league requested a federal mediator in order to help end the lockout.
But Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports that the MLBPA is likely to reject mediation on Feb. 4, with the players viewing the mediation request as a “win-win” PR move by the league.
Drellich notes that federal mediation was also used during the strike/lockout of 1994-95, but did little to progress talks.
Feb. 3, 5:00 p.m.
The league has told the Players Association that it will not be making a counteroffer to the players, just two days after telling the players that it would, according to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the players made two proposals to the league on Feb. 1.
In recent days, the two sides have made “little progress,” with Feb. 2’s talks not even involving core economic issues.
This news comes on the heels of reports that the league has asked for a federal mediator to step in and assist the negotiations, a move that must be approved by the MLBPA.
Feb. 3, 4:31 p.m.
MLB has requested the immediate assistance of a federal mediator in order to help end the lockout, per multiple reports.
The request by the league would have to be approved by the MLBPA.
The sides have met multiple times in recent days, though the session on Feb. 2 did not involve discussions about core economic issues.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the expectation is that the sides will again discuss core economic issues within the next few days.
With the current pace the sides are on, a delay of spring training appears likely.
It is conceivable that Opening Day (scheduled for Mar. 31) could happen on time even if spring training is delayed, but it would likely have to start no later than the beginning of March in order to avoid lost regular season games.
Feb. 2, 6:20 p.m.
After “little progress was made” in core economic discussions on Feb. 2, both the MLB and MLBPA are set to restart talks either at the end of the week or early next week, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Heyman adds that other, “less contentious,” issues are on the agenda for Feb. 3-4, including drug policies, international play and more. The players offered a 12-team playoff format and MLB proposed the universal DH and to drop free agent compensation.
Progress on the biggest issues for both sides have made baby steps, but Heyman believes that universal DH will be in place in 2022.
Heyman later reported that Mets pitcher Max Scherzer and Andrew Miller ‘spoke pointedly about their unhappiness with MLB offers.’
Feb. 2, 8:29 a.m.
MLB and the MLBPA will meet again on Wednesday, but core economic issues will not be discussed during that session, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The meeting between the two sides on Tuesday to discuss core economic issues went 90 minutes. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “little progress was made.”
In turn, the on-time opening of spring training — set to begin in two weeks — is in danger.
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich noted that Tuesday’s meeting was “heated.” The MLBPA’s focus was on discussing service-time manipulation and the pre-arbitration bonus pool, where they dropped their request from $105 million to $100 million.
Feb. 1, 8:43 a.m.
MLB and the MLBPA will meet on Tuesday for another bargaining session, according to multiple reports.
Despite the two sides meeting in person multiple times in recent weeks and making what they view as concessions, a deal to end the lockout is not close, Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported on Monday.
Per the report, among the things holding up a potential deal are the minimum salary, arbitration rules, the luxury tax (players want it to be higher), the structure of the proposed MLB Draft lottery, and service-time manipulation.
Scott Boras, the most powerful agent in the sport, told The Athletic that the players want fairness.
And Boras also said that player salaries should be much higher due in part to the rising values of the franchises.
“History has told a story that the players now understand,” Boras said. “And the history is that, what you negotiate from is appreciation of franchise values and revenue increases . . . From the players’ perspective, it is about how successful this game is from those two perspectives. And they want fairness. Players want fairness in the success of the game.”
Per The Athletic, spring training — which is supposed to start in two weeks — is likely to be delayed.
Jan. 25, 1:38 p.m.
On Tuesday during the second straight day of in-person negotiations, the MLBPA proposed to the league a new minimum salary of $775,000, which would be up from the $570,500 it was in 2021, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Per multiple reports, the league countered with an offer of $615,000 for the minimum salary.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the league also withdrew its offer to change the arbitration structure and agreed to accept parameters regarding a pre-arbitration bonus pool for the top 30 eligible players based on WAR. However, the two sides are far apart on money for the bonus pool, with the MLBPA asking for $105 million and the league offering $10 million.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training in roughly three weeks, so the two sides will need to work fast in order for spring training to start on time.
The first spring training games are scheduled for Feb. 26, which includes the openers for the Mets and Yankees.
In the event spring training is substantially delayed, there is a chance Opening Day (set for March 31) and additional regular season games will be impacted.
Jan. 24, 3:34 p.m.
During an in-person negotiating session that lasted more than two hours, the MLBPA officially rejected the league’s first proposal and made a counteroffer, per multiple reports.
The sides, in what can only be viewed as progress given the lack of contact earlier this offseason, will meet again on Tuesday, reports Hannah Keyser of Yahoo!.
Per Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the union made two significant concessions on Monday.
The first was to drop its request for an age-based free agency system that would’ve sped up the years to free agency for some players. The league had not been open to that change.
The second was a revision to a proposal regarding revenue sharing.
According to The Athletic, the two “major hurdles” left to clear revolved around whether the league is open to any changes at all regarding revenue sharing and whether the league is open to reworking rules regarding when players hit arbitration.
Jan. 20, 6:44 p.m.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the owners and players association will meet again on Monday, Jan. 24, at which point the players will present a counteroffer to the league.
MLB made its first proposal to the players association last week, though things reportedly didn’t go very well.
As of now, the Spring Training schedule is still set to start on Feb. 26.
Jan. 19, 10:23 a.m.
The MLBPA is preparing a response to the proposal made by the league last week, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network, who says that response will be “delivered within days.”
Per Heyman, the players were disappointed that the “biggest issues” weren’t addressed in the initial proposal from the league.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, that initial proposal included funneling additional money to all players with two-plus years of service time, awarding draft picks to teams that don’t manipulate service time of top prospects, and included a potential lottery for the MLB Draft.
Per multiple reports, the initial proposal also included the addition of the universal DH and a 14-team postseason, but it did not contain anything regarding earlier free agency or an increase of the luxury tax.
Jan. 13, 2:28 p.m.
The MLBPA did not react positively to the proposal made by the league on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who noted that “few on either side” expected the reaction to be positive.
Per SNY’s Andy Martino, some baseball operations people reading the tea leaves have a hard time seeing spring training opening before the middle or end of March.
The MLB and MLBPA bargaining session on Thursday was the first where core economics were expected to be discussed, and the first official session since the lockout began on Dec. 2.
Jan. 5, 9:56 a.m.
in a wide-ranging piece from ESPN’s Jeff Passan that was written after he spoke to dozens of sources around the labor negotiations, Passan reported that the belief is the earliest negotiations will ramp up is late-January.
Per Passan, the players are asking for a host of things, including earlier free agency, earlier arbitration, changes to the draft system, raises for younger players, and a higher luxury tax threshold.
As far as what the league wants, Passan reports that they’re seeking to expand the playoffs and are focused on “continuing its curtailed spending.”
Passan notes that the luxury tax threshold, which was $210 million in 2021, could be a “focal point” in negotiations, with the MLBPA wanting it raised due in part to the fact that teams often treat it as a de facto salary cap.
To reach a deal, Passan — who spoke with an owner, league officials, players, and other sources to get a handle on it — said it could require raising minimum salaries for players, adding the universal DH, expanding the playoffs from 10 to 14 teams, raising the luxury tax threshold, and making significant changes to the MLB Draft and free agency draft compensation rules.
As far as whether negotiations could cause the loss of games, Passan writes that two players he spoke with “believe” games will be missed, while others are more optimistic.
Jan. 4, 9:39 a.m.
As of Jan. 3, there weren’t any negotiating sessions scheduled between MLB and the MLBPA, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The two sides met in December after the lockout began, but The Athletic reported that core economics of the new CBA would likely not be discussed until January.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training in mid-February, and spring training games are scheduled to start in late-February.
Complicating matters further is that well over 100 players are still free agents, meaning a deal at the last second would send them scrambling to find new teams.
In order for the regular season to start on time, a deal would likely have to be reached no later than the third week of February.
Jan. 3, 10:19 a.m.
In a wide-ranging interview with Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, Mets RHP Max Scherzer discussed the potential timing of a deal, the need to pay younger players more, the luxury tax, the “integrity” of the game, and more.
On the possibility that the season could be disrupted, Scherzer said it’s “hard to speculate” right now.
“You’re just in limbo right now,” Scherzer said. “You’re training ready to be good to go for when spring training starts. If that doesn’t happen, then you make different decisions based on that. But until that happens, you have to have the mentality that we’re going to be playing on time. Any other kind of speculation is just hearsay.”
As far as the integrity of the game, Scherzer explained that one thing the players want addressed is the number of teams that go into seasons with no “intent” of winning.
“Even though that can be a strategy to win in future years, we’ve seen both small-market and large-market clubs embrace tanking, and that cannot be the optimal strategy for the owners,” Scherzer said.
With spring training set to start in roughly six weeks and games scheduled to begin in late-February, negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA on the new CBA are expected to resume this month.
Dec. 15, 7:17 p.m.
The MLB and the Players’ Association are unlikely to discuss core economics of the new CBA until January, according to The Athletic.
Evan Drellich notes that both sides are not “as contentious” on matters like the luxury tax and years of arbitration, but “communication on the big-dollar issues remains on hold.”
The MLBPA made a proposal earlier this week, but to no avail or counter. The two sides will meet in Dallas on Dec. 16.
Dec. 2, 10:19 a.m.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday morning during a news conference that he remains optimistic a deal will be reached to end the lockout before regular season games are threatened.
Manfred also downplayed the perceived bad blood between MLB and the MLBPA — something that reared its head in the negotiations before the 2020 season during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in an even more delayed start and a 60-game season.
“I think people put way too much emphasis on that issue,” Manfred said. “At the end of the day, it’s about substance. We’re here. They’re there. We need to bridge that gap.”
Said Manfred about why the lockout happened:
“People need pressure sometimes to get to an agreement, but candidly we didn’t feel that sense of pressure on the other side during the course of this week,” Manfred explained. “The only tool available to you under the act is to apply economic leverage.”
Dec. 2, 12:45 a.m.
Rob Manfred made things official just after midnight, announcing that the MLB owners “have been forced to commence a lockout of Major League Players.”
Manfred penned a letter to the fans, explaining his disappointment with the situation the game finds itself in.
“Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time,” Manfred wrote. “This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.”
The MLBPA also released a statement of their own, calling the shutdown a “drastic measure, regardless of the timing.”
MLBPA director Tony Clark released his own statement, saying that this “drastic and unnecessary measure will not affect the Players’ resolve to reach a fair contract.”
With the players locked out, no player transactions can occur. The major league portion of the Winter Meetings has also been canceled.