The MLB lockout thread

[Deberg_1990]

Discussssss

To our Fans:

I first want to thank you for your continued support of the great game of baseball. This past season, we were reminded of how the national pastime can bring us together and restore our hope despite the difficult challenges of a global pandemic. As we began to emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history, our ballparks were filled with fans; the games were filled with excitement; and millions of families felt the joy of watching baseball together.

That is why I am so disappointed about the situation in which our game finds itself today. Despite the league’s best efforts to make a deal with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26 year-long history of labor peace and come to an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired. Therefore, we have been forced to commence a lockout of Major League players, effective at 12:01am ET on December 2.

I want to explain to you how we got here and why we have to take this action today. Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.

When we began negotiations over a new agreement, the Players Association already had a contract that they wouldn’t trade for any other in sports. Baseball’s players have no salary cap and are not subjected to a maximum length or dollar amount on contracts. In fact, only MLB has guaranteed contracts that run 10 or more years, and in excess of $300 million. We have not proposed anything that would change these fundamentals. While we have heard repeatedly that free agency is “broken” – in the month of November $1.7 billion was committed to free agents, smashing the prior record by nearly 4x. By the end of the offseason, Clubs will have committed more money to players than in any offseason in MLB history.

We worked hard to find compromise while making the system even better for players, by addressing concerns raised by the Players Association. We offered to establish a minimum payroll for all clubs to meet for the first time in baseball history; to allow the majority of players to reach free agency earlier through an age-based system that would eliminate any claims of service time manipulation; and to increase compensation for all young players, including increases in the minimum salary. When negotiations lacked momentum, we tried to create some by offering to accept the universal Designated Hitter, to create a new draft system using a lottery similar to other leagues, and to increase the Competitive Balance Tax threshold that affects only a small number of teams.

We have had challenges before with respect to making labor agreements and have overcome those challenges every single time during my tenure. Regrettably, it appears the Players Association came to the bargaining table with a strategy of confrontation over compromise. They never wavered from collectively the most extreme set of proposals in their history, including significant cuts to the revenue-sharing system, a weakening of the competitive balance tax, and shortening the period of time that players play for their teams. All of these changes would make our game less competitive, not more.

To be clear: this hard but important step does not necessarily mean games will be cancelled. In fact, we are taking this step now because it accelerates the urgency for an agreement with as much runway as possible to avoid doing damage to the 2022 season. Delaying this process further would only put Spring Training, Opening Day, and the rest of the season further at risk – and we cannot allow an expired agreement to again cause an in-season strike and a missed World Series, like we experienced in 1994. We all owe you, our fans, better than that.

Today is a difficult day for baseball, but as I have said all year, there is a path to a fair agreement, and we will find it. I do not doubt the League and the Players share a fundamental appreciation for this game and a commitment to its fans. I remain optimistic that both sides will seize the opportunity to work together to grow, protect, and strengthen the game we love. MLB is ready to work around the clock to meet that goal. I urge the Players Association to join us at the table.
Manfred

Read a letter from the Commissioner: https://t.co/P4gRGSlfsu pic.twitter.com/zI40uGLTni

— MLB (@MLB) December 2, 2021

Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/34uIGf762W

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) December 2, 2021

[Red Dawg]

NFL, MLB and NBA players are greedy ****s. MLB most of all. If they wanted a deal done so they could play then it would be done. They play a game for money and clout and that's it. They don't care about the fans or any of that shit no matter what they say. They want as much money as they can get. Ward is a perfect example. He will get overpaid by a loser team instead of taking a good deal with us. He could care less about winning just give me the money. That attitude will make him suck.

All this shit is on the players and their attitude. No other job would employees get to act like they do.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

You realize Brett hit left-handed don't you? Oppo for him would be left field.

Dammit! I even thought it out. “Brett was a lefty, oppo gonna be out toward Tyler O’Neill…”

And then STILL typed in RF.

Yeah, the shift is rarely used against righties anyway. So it really is lefties that have to deal with it.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Here’s a text I got this morning from a MLB agent on the lockout: pic.twitter.com/4T0IKSTxbc

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 2, 2022

Clearly the actions of those who wanted the season to start on time. The owners will undoubtedly start seriously shifting their positions in a few months but not before then.

Oh. Well if an AGENT says it…

You sure do have a type when it comes to the sources you choose to believe.

Again - this is the same approach the owners attempted in ‘94. The players wouldn’t come to the table and eventually the strike happened. To act like the owners could just plod bravely forward especially in light of how aggressive and strident the players have been in this process is to ignore history.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I have no doubt, but let’s not pretend that there was any real good faith attempt to start the season on time from the owners. Locking the players during the actual season and making them hurt has clearly been an essential part of their CBA negotiation tactics the entire time.

Okay. So you made up your mind on Day 1 and have ignored anything that didn’t come from an agent or MLBPA mouthpiece since.

Got it.

[dlphg9]

I have a hard time backing the MLBPA. They have fully guaranteed contracts and basically no salary cap. The CBT is the flimsiest version of a salary cap you can have and even if it was more of a deterrent to keep teams from spending, it's still millions of dollars more than the NFL salary cap.

Raising the CBT doesn't do much for the average player, but putting an actual salary cap with a floor forces teams to spend more.

Say the floor was $120 million last year. 13 teams would have been under that number.

These are the teams and how far under they are

COL $4 mil
MIL $21 mil
TEX $25 mil
KC $29 mil
ARI $29 mil
OAK $30 mil
DET $34 mil
SEA $37 mil
TB $50 mil
MIA $62 mil
PIT $66 mil
CLE $70 mil
BAL $78 mil

I see the owners had proposed a $100 mil floor and $180 mil CBT. If the MLBPA countered with $120 mil floor and $180 mil CBT, then MLB might agree.

Last year only 8 teams would have been over the $180 mil

LAD $86 mil
NYY $25 mil
NYM $21 mil
PHI $17 mil
HOU $14 mil
BOS $7 mil
LAA $349k

Teams that didn't meet the floor the total is $535 million
If the floor were $100 million then the total would be $275 million

Teams over CBT total is $170.349 million

That's between $105 million and $365 million more for the players.
.
I'm not sure what the big pushback is from the players is.

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

NFL, MLB and NBA players are greedy ****s. MLB most of all. If they wanted a deal done so they could play then it would be done. They play a game for money and clout and that's it. They don't care about the fans or any of that shit no matter what they say. They want as much money as they can get. Ward is a perfect example. He will get overpaid by a loser team instead of taking a good deal with us. He could care less about winning just give me the money. That attitude will make him suck.

All this shit is on the players and their attitude. No other job would employees get to act like they do.

yup

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

I'm not sure what the big pushback is from the players is.

Nothing more than a mindless dogmatic refusal being pushed primarily by a few superstars and powerful agents.

Again - it’s amazing that suddenly a union is ARGUING for trickle down economic theory.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

NFL, MLB and NBA players are greedy ****s. MLB most of all. If they wanted a deal done so they could play then it would be done. They play a game for money and clout and that's it. They don't care about the fans or any of that shit no matter what they say. They want as much money as they can get. Ward is a perfect example. He will get overpaid by a loser team instead of taking a good deal with us. He could care less about winning just give me the money. That attitude will make him suck.

All this shit is on the players and their attitude. No other job would employees get to act like they do.

You're such a dipshit.

They get paid what they get paid, because without the players there is no product and the billionaire owners wouldn't be taking in hundreds of millions to billions of dollars a year without them.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Nothing more than a mindless dogmatic refusal being pushed primarily by a few superstars and powerful agents.

Again - it’s amazing that suddenly a union is ARGUING for trickle down economic theory.

MLB owners need to take a page from the NFL owners playbook and target the average players.

The players need better representation, because it seems like they're not playing just because the CBT isn't high enough. That literally effects like 1% of players, possibly 5% at most. It's ****ing dumb.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

This whole thing reminds me of how the highly paid QBs hated the newest NFL labor deal. It worked for 90% of the players but those QBs wept about it.

The MLBPA should focus on helping the vast majority not the privileged few.

[Red Dawg]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

You're such a dipshit.

They get paid what they get paid, because without the players there is no product and the billionaire owners wouldn't be taking in hundreds of millions to billions of dollars a year without them.

OMG you idiot. Owners own in all billion dollar businesses. Only in sports do the workers demand such high salaries. If you become a billionaire does that mean you pay massive millions to every employee? **** no. But without the workers there would be no product? So ****ing what? There are thousands of players that would play for a lot less. Players are greedy ****s with big egos and they make a shit ton, even the bad ones. The only reason the season is not starting is players greed.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Carr4MVP

This whole thing reminds me of how the highly paid QBs hated the newest NFL labor deal. It worked for 90% of the players but those QBs wept about it.

The MLBPA should focus on helping the vast majority not the privileged few.

That's why the latest CBA for the NFL was done so quickly. The owners catered to the JAGs.

[Red Dawg]

Everyone go tell your boss that you want what these greedy ****ing players want and see what happens.

[scho63]

At this point in my life I could careless if MLB ever plays again and the same goes for the NBA.

Gave up watching years ago.

[2112]

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

Everyone go tell your boss that you want what these greedy ****ing players want and see what happens.

The players (most of them) have been millionaires since their late teens early 20’s and have never worked a hard day in their life. They don’t understand the value of a dollar.