MLB Lockout -Where Do We Stand?

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By Nicholas Winter

We are about two months into the lockout between the MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA), and there has been very little progress made at all. The lockout started due to the collective bargaining agreements’ expiration between the players and owners. 

Before the lockout, the two sides met to discuss the issues that still existed in what both the MLB and the MLB players association wanted but have not made any progress. Thankfully, this last week the two sides met two days in a row and made some progress on a new deal that will hopefully get the ball rolling on finishing the collective bargaining agreement before we have to miss games. In addition, both sides of the aisle made concessions that sparked a small amount of movement in the right direction. The first time they met last week, the MLBPA made a counter proposal to what the MLB had previously offered and made compromises on a few issues, and this got them to meet the next day again.

The MLB came back to the table on the second day and made a couple of minor compromises that the players wanted, including a pre-arbitration bonus pool and raising the minimum salary closer to what the players wanted. While the concessions are good for negotiations, there is still much work to be done before baseball can get back to normal; a lot more negotiation must occur relatively quickly if we want to start the season on time. Both sides know what is at stake and how their legacies will be reflected if they cannot get the season started on time. Any progress is a good thing, as that means the negotiations did not go backward and instead went in a positive direction, however minuscule it was. If both sides end up agreeing before spring training begins, it will be a hectic few weeks leading up to the eventual start of the season. 

There are still many players that are still unsigned, including the biggest ticket on the free-agent market, Carlos Correa. Even aside from free agency, numerous teams want to seek out trades for specific players, which will all carry out whenever the lockout ends. It would not surprise anyone if teams have things lined up and are waiting until the lockout ends to get them approved by the MLB. Before the lockout, there was a sort of “trade deadline,” because teams wanted to get certain moves approved before they could not do anything for multiple months. 

Time will tell if the MLB and MLBPA decide to meet again in person sometime soon to continue negotiating and hammering the CBA. Hopefully, we will be discussing the upcoming season in a month and not missing games.