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With a possible lockout on the line after this season, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association gathered Tuesday to start discussions on the collective bargaining agreement.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that these are “the first official collective-bargaining talks before the expiration of the CBS on Dec. 1.”
While it’s certainly good news for those hoping baseball can avoid a work stoppage, don’t expect a resolution anytime soon — or maybe even at all.
“The opening presentations are basic overviews of each side’s position and set up the long bargaining road ahead,” he wrote.
The Athletic‘s Evan Drellich concurred, starting his story on the negotiations by saying, “Baseball’s march to a likely lockout is underway.”
“The current collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, and if a new deal isn’t in place by then, owners are likely to lock out the players, just as they did five years ago,” Drellich added. “But the likelihood of a deal by December seems low.”
What’s at stake in the CBA talks?
The biggest issue is a possible salary cap and salary floor, something players have rejected previously.
Despite that, big-spending teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers (as well as other big-market teams like the New York Mets and Yankees, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays) have spent money on free agents that are largely out of reach of less-wealthy teams.
Owners claim the salary cap-and-floor system will create more competitive balance, but others say it’s simply an attempt to save them money in an age of $700 million contracts.
What do the Dodgers think about a salary cap?
For his part, Dodgers owner Mark Walter has expressed some support for a salary cap.
”Here’s what the problem is: Money helps us win. We can’t win all the time. We’ve got to have some parity,” Walter told Bill Shakin of the LA Times.
“So we’ve got to come up with something that will give us some parity.”
Manager Dave Roberts has also expressed some openness to a salary cap.
“I understand that, in the sense of, this is where the CBA is at, as far as the expiration. And I do agree: Enjoy it, because nothing is guaranteed,” Roberts said.
“It’s going to be a great year and I hope everyone pours their spirits and their joy into this season, because it’s going to be a great one. We’ll just figure out where it goes after that.”
Do you think MLB is headed for a work stoppage?
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