JUPITER, Fla. – Major League Baseball said Wednesday that there are only five days left before it is forced to cancel the first games of the season, if there is no agreement on the new collective agreement.
After a third day of little progress at the bargaining table, Major League Baseball has publicly confirmed what it told the players’ union on Feb. 12.
The season will indeed be cut short if there is no agreement on the new collective agreement by Monday evening.
“A deadline is a deadline. Canceled matches are canceled matches. There is no salary that will be paid for these games,” said a spokesperson for Major League Baseball after the end of negotiations on Wednesday.
The spokesperson agreed to speak on behalf of Major League Baseball on the condition that his identity not be disclosed.
The players did not accept this schedule, believing that any canceled matches could be resumed during double programs.
Major League Baseball has indicated that it will not use this option.
The union said if wages were affected through canceled games, it sees no reason players would agree to owners’ demands for more playoff teams and advertising on uniforms.
Discussions will continue on Thursday. The two camps said they were ready to continue meeting until Monday, inclusive.
If any games were canceled, it would be Major League Baseball’s second shortened season in three years.
The 2020 campaign had dropped from 162 team games to 60 due to the pandemic.
The last labor dispute to have forced the cancellation of games occurred in 1994-1995. The players had gone on strike which ended the 1994 season on August 12; additionally, the start of the 1995 season was pushed back from April 2 to April 25. There have been 144 games this year, instead of 162.
Players are only paid during the season, at 1/162 of their annual salary per day.
So they could be losing up to $232,975 each day, in the case of Mets pitcher Max Scherzer, or $3,441 a day in the case of a $640,000 minimum-wage player.
The labor dispute was in its 84th day on Wednesday, while the number of meetings on economic issues rose to nine since the start of the lockout on December 2.
The training camps were to begin on February 16. Major League Baseball has already canceled the first week of preseason meetings, which were to begin on Friday.
On February 10, commissioner Rob Manfred had mentioned that at least four weeks of training were necessary before the start of the season, hence the Monday deadline.
The inaugural games are scheduled for March 31.
An attempt at intimidation, according to the players
Major League Baseball’s public release was seen by players as a form of pressure.
“You can’t lure bears into the forest by offering them traps,” said agent Scott Boras, who represents five of the eight players on the union’s subcommittee.
On Wednesday, the only concession in the negotiations came from the owners’ camp, who agreed to improve their offer for the minimum wage by $10,000 a year.
Major League Baseball is now proposing a minimum wage of $640,000 in 2022 and a raise of $10,000 for each of the remaining four seasons in the eventual convention.
The day before, the offer started at $630,000. The players requested a minimum of $775,000 for the next season and an annual increase of $30,000 for subsequent campaigns.
The two clans did not address an important point of contention, the luxury tax.
Players indicated that young players should have access to better salaries earlier in their careers.
The union would like a pool of $115 million to be made available to 115 players who are not eligible for salary arbitration. The owners are offering $20 million for 30 players.
Yankees pitchers Gerrit Cole and Zack Britton took part in the talks on Wednesday as Major League Baseball players and executives met for a third straight day. Also in attendance were Scherzer, free agent Andrew Miller, Astros receiver Jason Castro and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
The clubs informed the union that they would not reduce the level of revenue sharing and that they would not implement a mechanism allowing players to increase their service time.
They also won’t agree to expand salary arbitration eligibility among players with between two and three years of service.
