Players, owners get a jump on negotiations
Players have economic initiatives, while owners focus on on-field issues
Baseball players and management appear headed to early labour negotiations that could lead to significant economic changes in the collective agreement and possibly a new deal past the current expiration of December 2021.
Management backed off its desire for a pitch clock this year in a proposal to the players association on Tuesday, putting off most on-field changes to 2020 at the earliest. The union quickly made a counter-offer Wednesday, and the biggest alterations still being discussed for this year are a single trade deadline, most likely on July 31, and lowering the number of mound visits without a pitching change to five from six.
While players have proposed major initiatives that impact economics, such as expanding the designated hitter to the Na- tional League and adding provisions that make rebuilding rosters with young players less attractive, management has been focused on on-field issues thus far. Management told the union it would be willing to discuss larger economic issues as part of talks that could lead to a longer labour contract.
Details were disclosed to The Associated Press by people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because talks were on- going. Many aspects of management’s latest proposal were first reported by ESPN.
Among the items put off until 2020 at the earliest are several where an agreement could be reached soon:
A three-batter minimum for pitchers.
Increasing active rosters to 26 from 25, including a maximum of 13 pitchers, and dropping rosters to 28 from 40 (maximum 14 pitchers) from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season.
Increasing the minimum regular injured list and option recall period for pitchers to 15 days from 10.
A new rule that position players could pitch only from the ninth inning on, or from the sixth inning on when their team trails by seven runs or more.
The sides remain in discussion over starting extra innings of the all-star game and of spring training games with a runner on second base and ending spring training games after 10 innings. They also are discussing experimenting with shorter between-inning breaks combined with televising the start of innings on split-screens alongside commercials.
A single trade deadline would replace the current rules, which have a July 31 deadline for trades without waivers and an Aug. 31deadline to acquire players who would be eligible for that team’s post-season rosters.
While unilaterally making the decision to experiment with a 20-second pitch clock during spring training this year, management has offered not to pursue a pitch clock in the regular season through 2021. Management has the right to implement a clock in games that count, but baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has said he is reluctant to take that step without players’ agreement.
Baseball has had 12 collective agreements starting with the first in 1968 and has never held mid-agreement talks that led to an extension or new deal. The only mid-agreement extension was reached in the settlement of the 1981 midseason strike.