MLB Pushes Back CBA Deadline After 13 Meetings with MLBPA

The eyes of the baseball world were fixated on Roger Dean Stadium as the MLB and MLBPA met for the eighth straight day on Monday. The two sides met thirteen times over the course of 17 hours, but no compromise could be officially reached,

Initially, it didn't look as if there was any hope for an agreement to be made. According to Evan Drellich, the league reminded the players association that they're comfortable canceling the first month of the regular season.

The first four meetings didn't see any substantial progress made, however, several key figures from MLB were spotted going over to the player's side of the stadium. The most notable instance was MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's appearance after the second meeting, when he told fans and reporters huddled outside the gates, "We're working at it."

Commissioner Rob Manfred on way back: “We’re working at it” pic.twitter.com/vasSITXu7q
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 28, 2022

After their fifth meeting, reports came out that the MLB made two proposals, one featured a 14-team playoff plan, a minimum salary of $700k, as well as $40 million into the pre-arbitration pool. The other proposal featured a 12-team playoff plan, a minimum salary of $675k, and $20 million into the pre-arbitration pool.

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

Following the seventh meeting, which lasted a brief five minutes, the pace of play had been fully addressed according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.

The eighth meeting was another short one, the key takeaway being a "widespread consensus" from players to not choose the 14-team option, according to Jon Heyman.

The tenth and eleventh meetings saw even more progress, as the two sides agreed to a 12-team playoff format. The owners also agreed to CBT policies mirroring the previous CBA, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The 12th meeting came early Tuesday morning during the fifteenth hour of negotiations, but no conclusion could be reached. Meeting 12 ended at 1:50 am after 40 minutes. Well past the owner's deadline for canceling regular-season games.

At 2:11 the 13th round of talks began. The talks ended a little before 2:30 am, with no agreement in hand, however, the two sides will meet tomorrow with a new deadline at 5:00 pm according to Jeff Passan.

According to Heyman, the remaining issues at hand for the players association are in regards to the CBT, minimum salaries, and pre-arbitration pool.

Given the potential for extended MLB lockout, developments were Monday made to ensure players could stay fit and healthy. Drellich announced that the players association had put together a full training facility in Arizona, with a reported interest at another site in Florida.

Nevertheless, MLB and the MLBPA are close to a deal. If they weren't the deadline would not have been moved. Expect baseball to be back soon, perhaps as early as Tuesday morning.

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