Following today’s league deadline for reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced this afternoon that the league would cancel the first two series of the regular season. As Writes Max Molsky of NBC Sports, I.e. losing a total of 91 games. The league has on several occasions stated that it has no plans to reschedule those matches – either through dual titles or by rescheduling previously planned holidays. In addition to the late start to the regular season, as the Washington Post ‘Michelin Maynard noted, league teams have been told to postpone the start of spring training until at least March 12 (Twitter link)
The commissioner’s announcement seems to indicate that the maximum number of games to be played in 2022 will be 155-game schedules. Asked why the league was canceled altogether instead of being postponed, Manfred pointed to the challenges in reworking the Interleak game. Appropriate method (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) Reports released last week indicated that the league would start where the deal occurred / where the schedule stopped, so it looks like the first two series of each club (so far) will be removed from the league calendar.
Surprisingly, Manfred added that the league’s position was that players would not be paid for any games they did not play (Baseball America via JJ Cooper) This sets the stage for a second season in the last three years, as the union maintains that it does not believe today should represent a drop-dead date to avoid game cancellations.
MLB has unilaterally established the lockout and may remove it at any time and proceed under the terms of the 2016-21 CBA. The league never had the potential to take that action, but the decision to set a difficult deadline for a deal (first last night, then late this evening) was made only by the MLB. The Players’ Association has never approved that deadline, and the Giants outfielder Austin Slater – The club’s player representative – argued that the union wants further negotiations than today’s decision.
“I think it is not necessarySlater said San Francisco Chronicle Susan Schlasser Game cancels after league deadline. “There was the PA Setting up training camps In 2020, we showed that we can do it in three weeks. .. but it’s their uniqueness and Robin’s bargaining strategy to cross this deadline and see if they can push a deal down our throats.”
Others on the players’ side have taken a similar stance, arguing that the league deadline is forcing the union to accept the MLB’s bargaining position. Slater’s team player Alex Wood Was among the players to take To Twitter This afternoon to accuse the league of exaggerating the progress made in last night’s talks, thereby allowing the MLB to suggest that the union was at fault for not agreeing today. At his press conference this evening, Manfred gave some hints about the effect, noting the fact that agreement was needed on both sides to finalize a new CBA.
Having not reached an agreement in the daily negotiations for the past one and a half weeks, what is the next step? Yahoo’s Hannah Geiser has asked! Sportsman Manfred has ruled out any plans to negotiate a league ‘best and final’ offer for the MLB this afternoon. “We have never used the phrase ‘last, best’ with the unionThe Commissioner replied, “When he acknowledged that the parties.”Stumbling block, He pointed out, is open to league series negotiations. Said Manfred Today’s proposal It was the league’s final match before the games were canceled, and the negotiations were not complete. On the other hand, Bob Nightingale of America today Asks from a source the league has used “Best and Final OfferVocabulary.
That is an important difference. As Bill Shaykin of the Los Angeles Times Pointed out This afternoon, the league has its “Best and Final Offer“It could pave the way for the MLB to declare a formal stalemate in the negotiations – a decision that would involve the court system stopping negotiations. Manfred declined to speculate on those possibilities, but his consensus on continued negotiations indicated that the league did not plan to pursue that action at this stage.
It is not clear when the talks will begin, however the commissioner pointed out that talks could not resume until Thursday. Manfred also made it clear that he considered the ball to be on the union court, saying the league had provided the most recent opportunity in the issues.Without exception”And told reporters to make their own decisions about which side to make the next move on (Reported by Scott Miller of Bleacher) The league’s latest proposal may be technically true, however doing so an hour before the press conference is a little different from Manfred’s sharp bar without wanting to continue negotiations today.
Manfred also made some supplementary statements about the talks, which will certainly attract attention. He said the industry has been “tough” financially for the past five years, which immediately triggered a recession. As Newstay’s Eric Poland points out (On Twitter), The league grossed a record $ 10.7 billion in 2019. It’s easy to argue that the last two seasons have actually been plagued by epidemic revenue losses – especially in 2020, a year with largely no fan attendance – but Manfred said the most recent CBA covers financial hardship throughout.
The commissioner also discussed the terms of the league’s most recent proposal. He highlighted what he perceived to be a player-friendly economic arrangement (i.e. the creation of a bonus pool for players prior to the jury), and said the league was also looking for changes in on-field production. Manfred said MLB proposed ways to implement the Pitch watch and limits on defensive modification during their last offer. The league had a desire for the pitch clock Previously reportedBut it is not clear if the MLB tried to outlaw this winter shift.
Of course, the aesthetic changes of the game will take the back seat until major economic controversies continue to rage. MLBPA issues a statement in response to the Manfred press conference (On Twitter) It reads in part:
“Rob Manfred and the owners of MLB have canceled the start of the season. Players and fans who love baseball around the world are hated, but unfortunately not surprised. Rob Manfred classified it as a ‘defensive lockout’, in fact, the culmination of decades of owners’ efforts to break the brotherhood of our soldiers. As in the past, this attempt will fail.“
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