2021-22 CBA Negotiation/Lockout Thread (DEAL IS AGREED TO)

[eligrba]

The problem is that MLB is a federally protected monopoly controlled by the people making all of the money. Greed is the problem. 

Edited November 12, 2021 by eligrba

[Mark68]

MLB Proposes Replacing Arbitration With Salaries Based Off Player WAR Totals - MLB Trade Rumors

 

In August, Major League Baseball made its first core economics proposal to the MLB Players Association. That would’ve involved a radical restructuring of the game’s economic system, first granting players free agency at age 29 1/2 (as opposed to after six years of MLB service) and replacing the current arbitration structure with a pool-based system attached to revenues.

This week, the league proposed an unexpected wrinkle in CBA talks. While the new proposal contains the same age threshold for free agency qualification, Evan Drellich, Ken Rosenthal and Eno Sarris of the Athletic report that this offer would tie pre-free agency pay directly to a player’s Wins Above Replacement tally. Under this structure, a player’s service time and career WAR marks (weighted to emphasize the most recent seasons more heavily) would set the player’s salary. While multiple websites calculate WAR totals in different ways, MLB’s proposal would base salaries on FanGraphs’ WAR tabulations.

[AngelsLakersFan]

10 hours ago, beatlesrule said:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/agent-scott-boras-blasts-mlbs-system-that-allowed-atlanta-to-emerge-as-2021-world-series-winners/ar-AAQyDko?ocid=uxbndlbing

Boras, who spoke for 55 minutes at the annual general managers' meetings, said that the current draft system in baseball is broken, causing teams to intentionally lose to gain future top draft picks since 2012. He doesn’t blame teams for exploiting the system, knowing it led the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros to World Series titles; and teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates all losing 100 games in recent years to gain top picks.

There are currently only 17 teams, at the most, Boras says, who are trying to even win in 2022.

“It created an incentive for the race to the bottom,’’ Boras said. “Being non-competitive, trading off their players, is making the game and the season very different than what it was intended to be.

“You must make competitive requirements of winning and retaining the integrity so every team has a reason to win every game. ... We have seen a non-competitive cancer occur as a result of a bargaining change. It's not good for the game. It's not how our game should be played. It's one of the greatest problems in Major League Baseball today.’’

The Kansas City Royals are the lone small-market team to win a World Series championship since 2003, and the Tampa Bay Rays are the only team with a bottom five payroll to advance past the division series since 2012.

“We need to return to a draft where cost certainty and the pick are not rewarded for losing,’’ Boras said. “You must make competitive requirements of winning and retaining the integrity so every team has a reason to win every game.’

 

He says a lot more and I think he makes some really good points.

I'm glad Boras is catching on. Maybe he should clue in the MLBPA while he's there. I was making posts about this since before the Angels won the world series.

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 hours ago, eligrba said:

The problem is that MLB is a federally protexted monopoly controlled by the people making all of the money. Greed is the problem. 

"You mean we can make more money if we don't invest in our team?!"

[Blarg]

6 hours ago, eligrba said:

The problem is that MLB is a federally protexted monopoly controlled by the people making all of the money. Greed is the problem. 

The simple solution is a fan strike. Place it upon both the owners and players to reduce costs to make the sport more accessible and affordable to the fans. When we get what we want then both sides can go back to work. 

But paying out $20, 30, 40 million a year to players while tickets, parking and concessions are absurdly over priced? Fuck off MLB and the Players union. 

[mmc]

 

[Hubs]

This is completely fixable.

No strike or lock-out required. I think the economy and cost of living issues right now (and for the past several years) plus the growing distaste for the Uber-wealthy, make a work stoppage a really difficult proposal for either side.

OK, so biggest issue is revenue split. Revenues are approaching 11 billion annually while average player salaries are falling.

How is this corrected?

MLBPA wants raises in minimum salary, quicker arbitration, service time adjustments, earlier free agency, and changes to the draft order. They're also in favor of the universal DH.

Owners want a lower luxury tax threshold, increase in penalties, changing service time to age based, soft salary floor, an arbitration pool of funds, disallowing tanking teams to continue to draft highly, expanded playoffs, international draft.

Ok, so here's the fix. 

Revenues and Luxury Tax.

 Mandate Owners spend a specific portion of previous years revenues on player salaries. This percentage will set the upcoming tax and floor levels. Allow team to self report revenues, but allow team by team audits if revenues decrease by a certain percentage. Base this on TV contracts and gate revenues only. Give players a bonus if they don't reach percentage as a whole, to be paid equally to all players and by all teams.

Lower the minimum salary for first year players but increase it for second and increase it again for three years of service or greater. Something like 550K for rookies, 650k for second year, and 750k for third year or greater. Tie this dollar value to a specific percentage of revenues.

Arbitration and Service Time.

Give players salary arbitration at completion of two full years of service or in their third calendar season in the majors. Exclude one Sept. Call up from service time. Meaning a player called up in 2021 in Sept, will still have to play 2022 and 2023 before arbitration. Give them free agency at 5 years of service or at age 29 which ever comes first. 

Base arbitration salary on WAR as in MLB's current proposal. Tie amount of Money per WAR to percentage of revenues.

Draft and Free Agency Compensation

Allow trading of draft picks. Allow international draft. Give a weighted draft lottery to all non-playoff teams like NBA, but also mandate minor league signing bonus by draft slot like the NFL does. Expand draft back to 40 rounds or do two separate drafts for international and USA.

Get rid of qualifying offer. Tie compensation for free agents to WAR value and add picks based on free agency loss and free agency gain per team. Base on previous two seasons of WAR. Mets Lose Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman and Javier Baez, but sign Kris Bryant and Robbie Ray? Average the WAR lost = Additional end of second round pick. Blue Jays lose Semien and Ray but sign Taylor? Compensation is end of first round pick.

Playoffs, Expansion, and DH

Allow expanded playoffs, 7 teams per league at 30 teams, but 8 teams if league expands to 32 teams. Realign divisions to 4  per league if expansion occurs.

Allow DH in both leagues.

 

 

 

[mmc]

 

[Dtwncbad]

On 11/12/2021 at 10:16 AM, Blarg said:

The simple solution is a fan strike. Place it upon both the owners and players to reduce costs to make the sport more accessible and affordable to the fans. When we get what we want then both sides can go back to work. 

But paying out $20, 30, 40 million a year to players while tickets, parking and concessions are absurdly over priced? Fuck off MLB and the Players union. 

Fans are not going to “strike”. . . Because at the end of the day (literally at the end of a tough work day) we can turn the TV on and watch the team we pull for from our couch relaxing in our own home and eat a quesadilla and drink a couple of Sierra Nevadas.

For most people, this convenient “access” is about perfect.  Easy and cheap.

And you can’t really argue that tickets are too expensive when people willingly buy them at those prices.

I honestly don’t care one bit if every player made $60m a year when the game is this accessible to me every night on my TV.

 

[mmc]

 

[Lou]

And I thought I was hungry.

[mmc]

[mmc]

[Taylor]

Tony Reagins!

[Lou]

3 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Tony Reagins!

Dude is killing it. 

[T.G.]

Reagins is the second most famous intern in history.

[mmc]

 

[mmc]

[tdawg87]

That can't be real.

[tomsred]

3 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

That can't be real.

Do you think someone could interpret this and break it down in a few simple sentences?  I don't.

[Inside Pitch]

5 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

That can't be real.

Kind of neat.  Seems they want to try to create an urgency to win the divisions while at the same time expanding the number of teams.

At least its different.  The all WC games in the division winner's park is neat too.

[AngelsLakersFan]

20 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Kind of neat.  Seems they want to try to create an urgency to win the divisions while at the same time expanding the number of teams.

At least its different.  The all WC games in the division winner's park is neat too.

So you win your division only to get knocked out when you lose two of three to a 79 win team?

[Inside Pitch]

5 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

So you win your division only to get knocked out when you lose two of three to a 79 win team?

Yes but you get to pick who boots you!   

[Taylor]

[T.G.]