MLB lockout talks progress, but time is running out as spring training approaches

Now that the controversial Hall of Fame process is over, with Barry Bonds back entry refused In Cooperstown, Major League Baseball is listening as it tries to start its season on time.

The players were locked since December, when MLB entered the ninth work stoppage in league history. Spring training is scheduled to begin next month and regular season opening day is scheduled for March 31.

The two parties finally negotiate. The league and MLB Players Association officials met twice this week and will do so again Thursday in New York to discuss the framework for a new collective bargaining agreement. Talks resumed last week for the first time since the lockout took effect.

“Any day at the negotiating table is a good day,” the former MLB executive said. Marty Conway. “Two days in a row is a good sign.”

Topics covered include raising the minimum wage, rules relating to the arbitration system, service time manipulation and revenue sharing among MLB clubs.

“At this point, you’re trying to move beyond the postures and personalities that dominate the early sessions,” said Conway, who is now a professor of sports business at the university. Georgetown University. “There are new people at the table who haven’t really negotiated with each other. We had to evolve beyond that to really tackle the issues.”

But the first teams need to fill out their squads, and none of that is happening at the moment. Although more more than a billion dollars While the deals were completed before the work stoppage, top free agents like Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa remain unsigned.

Conway predicted there would be “real progress over the next few weeks” because players don’t want to miss regular season games and the salaries that come with them.

They might be willing to forgo part of the preseason, which takes place in Arizona and Florida. But preparing for a 162-game regular season requires a certain level of fitness, and players need to consider how important that is to them.

“Do you feel like you need three weeks?” Conway said. “Do you need two weeks?” What is this ?

There are some key areas where the league and players share commonalities. One of them is the possibility of expanding the playoffs, which was successfully tested during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.

Rather than limiting the playoffs to 10 teams, MLB invited 16 teams in 2020. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. League Commissioner Rob Manfred then began the process of lobbying for more permanent change.

The league is considering a 14-team format moving forward, with a bye for the top team in the American League and National League. The MLB Players Association prefers to have 12 teams.

The more clubs in the tournament, the greater the opportunity to earn playoff revenue, while players would also have a larger pool of money to share. The player pool combines gate receipts from all playoff games and includes a 60% share of the first four World Series games. In 2019, the last full season before the Covid pandemicthis sum totaled a little more than 80 million dollarsthe third highest swimming pool of all time. The rest of the playoff money is divided among team personnel.

The 12-team proposal has some support beyond just the players. A media executive told CNBC that anything beyond 12 teams would dilute baseball’s product and ruin the pennant races that typically generate excitement in the final weeks of the season.

In a 14-team format, as supported by MLB, the division winners would host a best-of-three series with all games on their home field. The top-ranked teams would also select their opponent.

Conway said a revised playoff format would bring excitement to MLB because “fans, customers, corporate sponsors like more meaningful games.”

Another hot topic on the table is the universal designated hitter. The main rule difference between the two baseball leagues is that pitchers hit in the National League, while the American League uses a designated hitter for the pitcher. The universal DH approach was used during the pandemic season.

A change in the way the project is handled is also up for discussion. One proposal is for the project to implement a lottery system like that used by the NBA, adding a certain level of luck and randomness to the process.

And as always, player salaries are a major sticking point..

The minimum wage is currently $570,500. The players’ union is seeking to increase that figure to a fixed minimum of $775,000. MLB offered $600,000, then increased its tier offers to $615,000 for players with no experience, $650,000 for one year of experience and $700,000 for players with at least two years of experience, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

As owners and players hammer out their differences, local businesses at spring training areas like Phoenix they fear they will suffer if exhibition games don’t arrive on time.

THE Associated Press reported The Cactus League, which is played in Arizona, had an economic impact of more than $600 million in 2018 through spring training games. That figure stood at about $363 million in the abbreviated 2020 session, before the pandemic shut down the sport.

Companies like Topps, which sold its trading card business to Fanatics for $500 millionalso have reason to be concerned. The company has always used spring training games to take player photos of its new products.

Then there is the risk of pushing away supporters.

“It’s a sad and disappointing collateral damage that needs to be considered now more than ever,” said Joe Favorito, a sports public relations guru and professor of sports business at Columbia University. “Fans are just as concerned as businesses. And no sport, after what we’ve been through in recent years, can afford to alienate fans with a lengthy work stoppage.”

Favorito, a New York Mets fan and partial season ticket holder, praised the franchise’s outreach to keep fans engaged even though offseason events have been halted. For example, the Mets invited people to a quiz at Citi Field and asked for feedback on how the team could do better during the lockout.

“More than ever, when it comes to a work stoppage, you better show your core fans that you care,” Favorito said. “If you don’t play games anymore, you risk having more fan erosion because people have long memories and they can do other things with their disposable income.”

WATCH: MLB and Players Association meet but make no progress toward agreement