At this point, you and I know that MLB and MLBPA must agree on the terms of a new contract by tonight to save the 162-game season.
And right now, as my colleague Félix Forget summed it up well, the issue of the international draft is important.
International Draft: MLB ready to wait until 2024 before establishing it
David Ortiz, an important voice in Latin America, does not seem in favor, but everything will depend on the conditions.
That said, the more time passes, the less it seems that the players want to accept the international repechage. It’s a big chunk to swallow, even if the bosses have made compromises recently.
But this one is next level.
International draft “non-starter” for Latin players and might not be acceptable to union even with major MLB give, sources tell @TheAthletic. Union in latest proposal still wants qualifying offer eliminated, as well as higher CBT thresholds and pre-arb pool than MLB has offered.
—Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 9, 2022
What is special is that each info seems to indicate a contrary movement. For a moment, we believe in an agreement.
To another? Much less.
Sounds like this round of talks nearing a decision point. Players handed owners a counter, as others have mentioned, and MLB is expected to counter that, source tells @bnicholsonsmith and me. A vote on a player side is possible afterwards. No guarantee a deal gets done.
—Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 9, 2022
Almost no progress made today on another deadline day. Union moved slightly on CBT (now $12M apart in year 5) and bonus pool (still far apart) but they r not close. MLB may make another counter offer today but hard to see deal getting done today. Cancellation of more games looms.
—Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 9, 2022
Obviously, at the salary level, there is still a gap fill. Nothing is perfect, but…
But everyone is relatively close, anyway.
So the differential:
MLB $230 MLBPA $232
MLB $232 MLBPA $235
MLB $236 MLBPA $240
MLB $240 MLBPA $245
MLB $242 MLBPA $250on Pre-Arb Pool
MLB $40m MLBP $65mso do the stupid deal at
$233,$238,$243 and $245
And $50Both sides::don’t do any more damage to the sport of baseball https://t.co/Vi026bN8bK
—Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) March 9, 2022
So do the stupid dealas Bowden says… even if it means negotiating the international repechage later.
It is an option on the table.
Source: League offering 3 options: Sign the CBA, including eliminating draft pick compensation, and take some time to examine the international draft. If the union won’t implement within a couple years (by ’24?), the league can re-open the CBA. 2/3
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 9, 2022
It’s really the international draft that could mean that Rob Manfred could announce the cancellation of several other games.
To be continued. It can go either way.
