We are on February 28, that is (nearly) three months after the start of the lockout imposed by Rob Manfred against the players. But yet, despite the pressure of time, no work contract has been accepted.
February 28 is an important date since it is the one set by Rob Manfred in order not to lose games this season.
If a contract is signed by tonight, the season will certainly have 162 games following a shortened camp. If not? The first games of the season will be canceled and will never be resumed.
And what are the chances of a contract being signed today? They exist, but they are not necessarily large.
Possibility of signing an employment contract by tomorrow: opinions are divided
A person involved in the negotiations believes it is possible. I wouldn’t put my money on it though.
Of course, there could be a huge sense of urgency that could force both sides to water down their wine. That said, at this point in the conflict and considering the history of bickering between bosses and players in baseball…
Let’s just say it’s going to take me longer than “negotiations went well yesterday” to convince myself that a deal is imminent.
MLB calls talks ‘productive’ while MLBPA says sides are still ‘very far apart’ entering deadline day https://t.co/5TW7UX4wI0
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 28, 2022
Why? Because there is a nuance between approaching a work contract and being close to a work contract. At the moment, even if there has been progress, everyone is so far from an agreement that to believe that it will be done in a day is hard to believe, precisely.
Even if the simple format of the playoffs (players want 12 clubs and MLB wants 14), there is disagreement.
There’s still work to be done for a CBA agreement by tomorrow’s league-imposed deadline, a player with knowledge of conversation tells @Ken_Rosenthal.
Just some topics discussed today:
▫️ 14-team playoff
▫️ “Ghost win” 12-team format (division winners start with game advantage) pic.twitter.com/UVkh1x6pFJ— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) February 28, 2022
Today, the priority will have to be to find common ground for the threshold of the luxury tax. After all, without this it will be impossible to lay the foundations for a new convention.
And to do this, the meetings of the day will take place before 1 p.m., as was the case this week.
There was some sense of productivity today, but the gap on key issues remains large. Tomorrow on deadline day, they’re meeting earlier in the day than they had yet. Notable: no one suggested Sunday brought significant momentum, or a breakthrough. So temper the urge to be excited
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 28, 2022
Tomorrow will therefore be crucial for the rest of things in baseball. It remains to be seen whether the negotiations will be in good faith.
I just hope that if there is no agreement by tonight that negotiations will continue tomorrow and that there will not be a long unnecessary break.
