Collective Bargaining Agreement

[bmfc1]

"Serves em both right for dicking around all of December/January without even attempting negotiations." From my perspective, MLB locked out the players and then dicked around for nine weeks so they have been dickier. Yeah but it's not like the players didn't know they were locked out. Were they pressing to get the owners to the table and find out how to get them to unlock the doors? I think no

Fair point. I haven't read anything about that.

[Edgy MD]

I'm all about expanding the playoffs to 30 teams and calling it "the season."

[bmfc1]

You know and I know that the more teams that make the playoffs the more you dilute the value of the regular season. With 14 or even 12 teams in, you run the risk of this, as an example:

ATL has a 3 game lead on the Mets with two weeks to go but the NL East winner is only the 3d best record so there is no possibility of a first-round bye.

The Mets are 8 up on the 7th best record so they are definitely going to make the playoffs. Do the Mets sit/minimize Jake and Scherzer for these two weeks to save them for the playoffs? That's an example of what will happen with expanded playoffs.

[Fman99]

I was against the bump from 8 to 10, but that ended up being a good thing (despite 2016) as I like the pressure of the one game play-in wild card. But I think 10 to 12 is stupid. I mean, I also think the DH is stupid, though, so stupid is as 2022 does I guess.

[Willets Point]

You want expanded playoffs? Fine.



7 teams qualify from each league - 3 division champions and 4 wild cards. The division champs are seeded 1-3, and the wild cards are seeded 4-7 based on regular season records.



Round 1: Best of 3 series hosted by higher seed: 4 v 7 and 5 v 6

Round 2: Best of 3 series hosted by higher seed: 2 v the lower remaining seed and 3 v the higher remaining seed



Winner of Round 2 advances to a best of 7 LCS against the #1 seed who also get home field advantage.



More teams get a chance at the postseason as MLB desires, but the importance of the regular season is maintained by the benefits of home field advantage and byes given to the the teams with the best records. Also, the maximum number of games a team can play to advance to the LCS is the same as it is now - 6. And all of the games of Round 1 and 2 can be completed in about 7 days, so it won't stretch out the postseason any further.

[Gwreck]

Prior reporting of “progress” appears to be inaccurate.

More:

The union lowered its ask today on pre-arb bonus pool from $115M to $85M (with a $5M increase/year). MLB had proposed last night $25M w/ no annual increase.



Among other areas of disagreement: proposed luxury tax rates:

— MLB: $220M/220/220/224/230

— Union: $238M/244/250/256/263

[bmfc1]

So much for that. F Manfred, F Reinsdorf.

[metsmarathon]

ugh. just fucking get it done you hosers.



or, sweet jesus, allow spring training to start while you hammer out the last few details. no reason to shut shit down.

[Frayed Knot]

First two series of reg season canceled.

Fuck both sides in the ear.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Unacceptable. Epic failure.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'd say split the difference and get on with it, but the owners have been much less willing to budge on the numbers than the players have. And they seem to be in no rush to start the season.



So if there's a dick award it goes to the owners.

[Edgy MD]

I'm doubly pissed. I took it to the bank.

[bmfc1]

The minor leagues will go on as scheduled but not with any player on the 40-man roster. This means that some of the Mets top prospects won't be able to play:

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

What a tragedy 😢. The bank failed us. Mafred can suck a refrigerator of cool hard dicks

[Fman99]

Yah I'm super bummed to be wrong about this.

[Frayed Knot]

Several sources are saying that the owners are prepared to lose the first month of the season.

If they follow through on that then I'm prepared to skip the next five.

[Edgy MD]

It looks like it'll be the third straight year that Mets Opening Day has eaten dirt.

[metsmarathon]

they better damned well already have someone lined up to hit 90 homeruns to save the fucking sport like last time.

[seawolf17]

I've never openly hated (the business of) baseball the way I do right now. I don't even know how to express my displeasure outside of a few angry tweets, either, because I don't subscribe to any of their services (outside of cable, I guess), and I'm not a corporate partner or season ticket holder, so they literally DGAF what I think. So I guess I put my baseball energy into the Red Wings and support the hell out of the AAA team. Got my opening day tickets.

[Lefty Specialist]

Pretty obvious that the owners are looking for total capitulation on the part of the players. They may get it, at the cost of a significant amount of the season, and a significant amount of the fan base. All they care about is the postseason money and with expanded playoffs that'll be there regardless of how much of the regular season they miss. Just a reminder that this is a lockout, not a strike. Or if you prefer, a strike by the owners.

[Benjamin Grimm]

If there's no season, there will be a quite limited Tabloid Cover Derby, and if that happens, this cover may be a strong contender:



http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/2022/20220302_NYP_02.jpg>

[Edgy MD]

I'd be deeply disappointed by a capitulation by the players. They have exclusive possession of most of the best talent in the world.



What do the owners have? Last I checked, there's no shortage of rich folks who can take out a lease on a ballpark and order some uniforms.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Lefty Specialist wrote: . All they care about is the postseason money and with expanded playoffs that'll be there regardless of how much of the regular season they miss.

I think they care a lot about the CBT and suppressing salaries.



I think this is more of a civil war among the owners as opposed to a war with the players. If what I'm reading is correct, the smaller and middle market teams what to suppress the bigger ones from spending more, or at least getting more in revenue sharing for them to pocket. They have enough of a block to control things.



There is no reason why Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Miami and some of the others can't spend. They just don't want to. The Cohens and others should insist of a Noncompetitive Tax for any team that is not turning its revenue sharing into creating a competitive team. A de facto cap should have a de facto floor.

[bmfc1]

Edgy MD wrote: I'd be deeply disappointed by a capitulation by the players. They have exclusive possession of most of the best talent in the world. What do the owners have? Last I checked, there's no shortage of rich folks who can take out a lease on a ballpark and order some uniforms.

I agree with you but the problem with the players' taking a tough stance is that they have a finite amount of time to use that talent. The rich folks will be some degree of rich for much longer.

[Edgy MD]

That's true. If they want to take the industry by the throat, they had better get to it.

[metsmarathon]

playoff money won't be shit if the fans don't give one.

[duan]

Lefty Specialist wrote: . All they care about is the postseason money and with expanded playoffs that'll be there regardless of how much of the regular season they miss. I think they care a lot about the CBT and suppressing salaries.

this 100%.

[ashie62]

If the baseball industry knew how to "read the room" with all that has and is going on around us we would likely have baseball on time.

[kcmets]

ESPN:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33399780/they-need-stop-treating-us-idiots-how-mlb-salvage-season?platform=amp'They need to stop treating us like we're idiots':

How MLB can salvage this season

[Frayed Knot]

ESPN: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33399780/they-need-stop-treating-us-idiots-how-mlb-salvage-season?platform=amp'They need to stop treating us like we're idiots': How MLB can salvage this season

I'll read this when I get some time.

But, while I've got nothing against Passan or Kurkjian who are good baseball journos, hearing from ESPN about how they [MLB] 'need to stop treating us like we're idiots' takes on

more than a whiff of irony when you consider how much ESPN in general despises baseball (no longer making even the slightest effort to try and disguise it anymore) and how ESPN

is the one most responsible for treating hardball fans as idiots or, at best, as either out of touch nerds living in their mother's basements or octogenarians living in nursing homes.

So forgive me if my knee jerk response when I see something from the four letter network critical of baseball is: Fuck You.