For the past few days, I have been asked if I believe that the negotiations will be more difficult for the future than in the past, that is until Tuesday. My answer? Yes.
Is that why baseball might not start again until May?
People in the industry have little hope of the season starting in April
Players are ready to wait as long as it takes.
But sincerely, I believe that achievements could be called into question. I am thinking here of the 12-team series, an MLB concession. I was thinking that MLB might decide to ask for 14 teams to give itself bargaining power.
And obviously, this could be renegotiated… but at the request of the players.
Sources: As the two sides look to jump-start the CBA talks, the union has approached MLB with an offer to re-open talks on the 14-team postseason field, with the idea it can exchange this for more flexibility on the CBT numbers and other issues.
—Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2022
The players’ plan would be to see if going up to 14 teams would allow the owners to concede something else, such as a higher threshold for the luxury tax, for example.
The MLBPA would perhaps like to breathe new life into the negotiations on a crucial issue.
Hearing from sources on both sides of the CBA talks that they are hopeful that a renewed discussion of the 14-team playoff field could be a potential breakthrough — for talks that need a breakthrough.
—Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2022
However, basically, I think like the players: 14 teams is too much. The regular season would be less important since clubs could sneak into the playoffs, which is less the case with 10 or 12 clubs.
But money talks…
A 14-team playoff field would make life more interesting for MLB’s mediocre teams. It’d also generate TV $$ for owners, who likely have an idea of how much they could sell this for already. But it’s a 162-game season. The more teams you let in, the less the season itself matters
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 4, 2022
I hope players stick with it and find another way to get what they really want, which is more money.
How much would that help the negotiations though?
