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For the first time in over a quarter century, Major League baseball is facing a work stoppage. The Wednesday midnight deadline for the league and the players to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement came and went and, barring a miracle meeting next week in New York,a baseball lockout is likely for the coming 2022 season.
Things got off to a worst start thanGerrit Colein the American League Wild Card game. The two sides met for roughly 50 minutes Wednesday with that 11:59 deadline looming—then reconvened later in the day. However,that meeting lasted merely seven minutes—at which point MLB officially apparently stormed off—telling the union that the negotiations were off.
Now, there’s a lot at stake in these negotiations, obviously. The league and the players have a vested interest in increasing revenue and improving the overall quality of the game. The players have proposed that changes be made to revenue sharing and the free agency process among other sticking points.But the MLB is said to be unwilling to even counter their proposal unless the players union drops their demands pertaining to increased revenue sharing and those aforementioned free agency proposals.The MLB leaving the negation table without a deal spells doom for a league and its players who, again, haven’t been at an impasse in nearly 28 years. “We’re trying to make the game better, more competitive,” players union exec and new MetMax Scherzersaid. “We’re absolutely committed to doing that. It’s just not me, it’s everybody. It’s obvious to all of the players.’’
Source:USA Today