I first want to thank you for your continued support of the great game of baseball. This past season, we were reminded of how the national pastime can bring us together and restore our hope despite the difficult challenges of a global pandemic. As we began to emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history, our ballparks were filled with fans; the games were filled with excitement; and millions of families felt the joy of watching baseball together.
That is why I am so disappointed about the situation in which our game finds itself today. Despite the league’s best efforts to make a deal with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26 year-long history of labor peace and come to an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired. Therefore, we have been forced to commence a lockout of Major League players, effective at 12:01am ET on December 2.
I want to explain to you how we got here and why we have to take this action today. Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.
When we began negotiations over a new agreement, the Players Association already had a contract that they wouldn’t trade for any other in sports. Baseball’s players have no salary cap and are not subjected to a maximum length or dollar amount on contracts. In fact, only MLB has guaranteed contracts that run 10 or more years, and in excess of $300 million. We have not proposed anything that would change these fundamentals. While we have heard repeatedly that free agency is “broken” – in the month of November $1.7 billion was committed to free agents, smashing the prior record by nearly 4x. By the end of the offseason, Clubs will have committed more money to players than in any offseason in MLB history.
We worked hard to find compromise while making the system even better for players, by addressing concerns raised by the Players Association. We offered to establish a minimum payroll for all clubs to meet for the first time in baseball history; to allow the majority of players to reach free agency earlier through an age-based system that would eliminate any claims of service time manipulation; and to increase compensation for all young players, including increases in the minimum salary. When negotiations lacked momentum, we tried to create some by offering to accept the universal Designated Hitter, to create a new draft system using a lottery similar to other leagues, and to increase the Competitive Balance Tax threshold that affects only a small number of teams.
We have had challenges before with respect to making labor agreements and have overcome those challenges every single time during my tenure. Regrettably, it appears the Players Association came to the bargaining table with a strategy of confrontation over compromise. They never wavered from collectively the most extreme set of proposals in their history, including significant cuts to the revenue-sharing system, a weakening of the competitive balance tax, and shortening the period of time that players play for their teams. All of these changes would make our game less competitive, not more.
To be clear: this hard but important step does not necessarily mean games will be cancelled. In fact, we are taking this step now because it accelerates the urgency for an agreement with as much runway as possible to avoid doing damage to the 2022 season. Delaying this process further would only put Spring Training, Opening Day, and the rest of the season further at risk – and we cannot allow an expired agreement to again cause an in-season strike and a missed World Series, like we experienced in 1994. We all owe you, our fans, better than that.
Today is a difficult day for baseball, but as I have said all year, there is a path to a fair agreement, and we will find it. I do not doubt the League and the Players share a fundamental appreciation for this game and a commitment to its fans. I remain optimistic that both sides will seize the opportunity to work together to grow, protect, and strengthen the game we love. MLB is ready to work around the clock to meet that goal. I urge the Players Association to join us at the table.
Manfred
Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then. [Reply]
Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then.
Don't get me wrong, fuck the owners, but if they didn't lock the players out, chances are they'd strike during the season. [Reply]
Originally Posted by KC_Connection:
Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then.
Yes, technically the owners could have kept business as usual.
If anyone has been following this, both parties had adversarial talks for the shortened pandemic 2020 season. Since spring 2021, they've made no progress in talks for this CBA up until Dec. 1, 2021.
There's no way the owners and MLBPA would have made any head way on a new deal without the pressure of a lockout or a deadline.
If they chose the business as usual route, a strike could have happened in August and been a repeat of 1994.
I would rather get this dark cloud of that way first so we can have five years of labor peace. There's still a chance they get something done and we get a respectable 154-game, 142-game season. [Reply]
Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then.
let me get this straight…..An agent thought MLB should have continued to let players sign contracts? I’m shocked :-) [Reply]
I love baseball but I think the season starting at the end of April/first of May would be better for the sport. Royals playing in the shitty ass AL Central means those road games in Detroit and Cleveland are played in the middle of the day for April. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
Don't get me wrong, **** the owners, but if they didn't lock the players out, chances are they'd strike during the season.
I have no doubt, but let’s not pretend that there was any real good faith attempt to start the season on time from the owners. Locking the players during the actual season and making them hurt has clearly been an essential part of their CBA negotiation tactics the entire time. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Ocotillo:
Yes, technically the owners could have kept business as usual.
If anyone has been following this, both parties had adversarial talks for the shortened pandemic 2020 season. Since spring 2021, they've made no progress in talks for this CBA up until Dec. 1, 2021.
There's no way the owners and MLBPA would have made any head way on a new deal without the pressure of a lockout or a deadline.
If they chose the business as usual route, a strike could have happened in August and been a repeat of 1994.
I would rather get this dark cloud of that way first so we can have five years of labor peace. There's still a chance they get something done and we get a respectable 154-game, 142-game season.
I’m thinking it will be closer to a 80 or 100 game season given how adversarial both sides are, but I’d be surprised if this goes on all year. Owners won’t give up that playoff revenue at the end if they can help it (and they certainly can help it).
The Jays project as one of the best teams in the league this year, so it would also be nice to get something in for that reason too. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
Don't get me wrong, **** the owners, but if they didn't lock the players out, chances are they'd strike during the season.
Because owners liked the status quo of the CBA from 2017-2021, while players did not like the status quo.
So with status quo in place without a lockout, August would have rolled around and the players could have boom, hit the owners with a strike. [Reply]
Originally Posted by KC_Connection:
I’m thinking it will be closer to a 80 or 100 game season given how adversarial both sides are, but I’d be surprised if this goes on all year. Owners won’t give up that playoff revenue at the end if they can help it (and they certainly can help it).
The Jays project as one of the best teams in the league this year, so it would also be nice to get something in for that reason too.
I totally agree that 80-100 games is likely. My post about 144, 152 games is wishful thinking, being an optimist.
I feel like the shutdown the entire season issue -- five-year free agency -- is off the table, so I don't see a 2004-05 NHL scenario either.
It's just sad that we have a fun, young core of players like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna that are going to have two of their prime years be potentially the two shortest seasons in baseball history. Good luck evaluating their Hall of Fame resumes in 20 years.
With the shortened season, it puts pressure on the Jays to perform because losing skids, slumps are devastating in an abbreviated season. They also play in a division where the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox are all capable of playing at a high level. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
And the owners have - repeatedly - offered a hard revenue split where the cap and floor are based on revenues and the players are guaranteed a certain percentage of spending that goes up as revenues do.
But they REFUSE to consider a cap or anything that diminishes guaranteed contracts. To the overwhelming detriment of the vast majority of players.
Yes, this IS the players fault.
Woof. I haven't followed this too much overall, but it seems like it could be a win for everyone with the right approach.
The MLB players might have it a bit 'too' good and I am almost always 100% pro player. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BryanBusby:
Woof. I haven't followed this too much overall, but it seems like it could be a win for everyone with the right approach.
The MLB players might have it a bit 'too' good and I am almost always 100% pro player.
MLBPA union reps are the players making the most money. [Reply]
Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
As for Brett - yeah, he’s an all time great hitter. But saying that he’s just gonna take inside heat into RF when the best hitters in the modern game aren’t even routinely doing so without sacrificing significant run production ability is being far too presumptuous.
You realize Brett hit left-handed don't you? Oppo for him would be left field. [Reply]
