{"id":53712,"date":"2022-03-15T10:25:16","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T14:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=53712"},"modified":"2022-05-20T08:45:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T12:45:18","slug":"baseball-is-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/03\/15\/baseball-is-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball is Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"

99 days after the start of MLB’s lockout, which shed a negative light on the sport of baseball and put the 2022 season in jeopardy, the owners and players reached a new deal on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing the 2022 season up in the air for passionate baseball fans was more than depressing. Fan’s frustrations echoed on social media as they took shots at owners who, much more than less, deserved every bit of criticism. As the March 1st deadline for a new CBA passed, we recall Rob Manfred’s infamous words: “I see missing games as a disastrous outcome for this industry, and we’re committed to agreeing to avoid that.\u00a8 MLB threatened cancellation of regular-season games unless a new deal was reached, and as the deadline loomed, made laughable proposals to the union, which questioned how much MLB was really committed to avoiding the atrocity of missing games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Disastrous Outcome<\/h2>\n

MLB did, in fact, cancel games. They canceled the first two series of the regular season on Tuesday, March 1st, which led to players and fans being deeply unsatisfied and even angry. Manfred could be seen laughing while he broke the news during a press conference shortly after the\u00a0 5 pm deadline on Tuesday. As the week went on, MLB and the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) would meet on Thursday, March 3rd. The meetings would not last long. MLB described the two sides as being “deadlocked.” In reality, MLB wasn’t taking any steps to compromise and get things moving forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More Deadlines, Little Urgency<\/h2>\n

As a new week blossomed, a new deadline blossomed with it. MLB set yet another deadline for a new CBA to be agreed upon (Wednesday, March 9th). Otherwise, they would cancel more games — seeming like they were threatening players and not actually destroying the sport that they themselves are in charge of running. So on Tuesday, March 8th, MLB and the PA got to it. They spent 16+ hours negotiating with each other to try and hash out a new deal to save baseball. <\/span>But why wasn’t there more of a sense of urgency to negotiate day and night to get the 2022 season started? There was, actually, but all the urgency was on the player’s side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strength Against Ultimatums<\/h2>\n

Just look at the owner’s “best and final offer” right before the first deadline. Their proposal was made in such bad faith and was so unreasonable that the players <\/span>immediately <\/span>voted <\/span>unanimously <\/span>to reject it–even though the deadline loomed. The players understood they had to set a precedent and look out for future generations of players. They knew that accepting the offer would not do the sport of baseball any good. In fact, the owner’s “best and final offer” wasn’t better than the one they offered to the PA on March 8th. Experienced people in business such as these fine billionaires had to have thought that their offer would be rejected. <\/span><\/p>\n

So truth be told, MLB knew what it was doing along with their deadlines and threats. Using an ultimatum: accept the deal or forfeit pay and games — to try and force players into a deal that would be detrimental to the players and the sport, just so that they could be on their (the owners) terms. <\/span>Did Manfred really think the players would succumb so easily? Unlike the owners, the players were fighting for a worthy cause. They worked together cohesively to make sure a system of fair and deserved pay was in place for themselves and the future players who work tirelessly on their craft. While owners work together to make sure their bellies continue to get full over the coming years as they cheat others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There has never been any urgency from MLB and its owners. This attests to the sad fact that several owners see baseball as nothing more than a few more dollars in their pockets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank God for Thursday!<\/h2>\n

\u00a0As Wednesday morning approached, there was a glimmer of light in the darkness. The PA would make their counteroffer to the proposal MLB laid out before them Tuesday night:<\/span><\/p>\n

MLB’s CBT proposal: $230m going up to $242m over five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

PA’s request: $238m going up to $263 over five years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MLB’s pre-arb bonus pool proposal: From $20m to now $40m<\/span><\/p>\n

PA’s request: $80m<\/span><\/p>\n

MLB’s minimum salary proposal: $700k going up to $770k over five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

PA’s request: $725k going up to $830k over five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strings Attached<\/h2>\n

MLB also wanted to implement an international draft and an additional penalty tier for teams that exceed the Competitive Balance Tax. As you can see, on Tuesday, the MLB got closer to the PA’s requests. But each time the MLB moved on monetary issues, they came with strings attached, such as introducing an international draft and an additional tier of penalty for the CBT.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The negotiations that took place Wednesday would determine the fate of more baseball games. And as a matter of fact, they did. MLB canceled another round of games, which led to fans feeling confused and players speaking out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, TGFT, thank God for Thursday!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On Thursday, March 10, the 99th day of the MLB lockout, MLB and the PA were able to break through after several discouraging and stressful negotiation sessions. Here are the important pieces of the new CBA that were agreed to:<\/span><\/p>\n