We are now one hour away from March 1 and the MLB-imposed deadline to reach an agreement without sacrificing games. Will this happen?
Hard to say. There is momentum in the negotiations, but nothing is done yet since the main problem lies in the number of teams in the playoffs. Players don’t want to go up to 14.
Latest on MLB lockout: Playoff expansion, not CBT, the main holdup as talks go late into the night https://t.co/rRIWu2riN1 pic.twitter.com/24kB5p48iz
—SNY (@SNYtv) March 1, 2022
There are still problems with the luxury tax (which will be around $225-230m), but it’s really the 14 clubs in the playoffs that are refused by the players, who feel that the clubs would not try everything to win since “anyone could enter through the back door” with 14 clubs.
Ultimately, the two parties are still relatively far away and MLB is working hard to convince players to accept the 14 clubs in the playoffs.
Sources: Deal not close, but not impossible. CBT thresholds, prearb pool big issues, among others. MLB has proposed two choices:
A: 14-team expanded postseason, minimum of ~$700k, ~40m into prearb pool
B: 12-team expanded postseason, ~$675k minimum, ~$20m into prearb pool
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022
Note also that the MLB and the players are negotiating to postpone the deadline one or two days in order to start the season on time.
There is some hope. Not a lot, but a little, nonetheless.
Whether there’s an extension of the MLB-imposed deadline of tonight is in MLB’s court, a union source said, but the sides have discussed it. Sides still said to be very far apart on key aspects of deal.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 1, 2022
Details to come…
