How lockout, possible clauses will impact A’s
Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expired Wednesday night without a deal in place. This means a lockout that freezes all transactions and a work stoppage will set in until the league and players come to an agreement for 2022.
The free agency hot stove was piping hot in the waning hours before this CBA expired, but the Oakland A’s — who are expected to cut payroll, dismantle their roster and sell their most valuable assets for parts -- haven’t pulled the trigger on any splashy moves.
A handful of sticking points to be determined in CBA negotiations could not only impact a significant offseason for the A’s this year, but throw a wrench into their tried-and-true methods for roster construction on a tight budget. THE ACTIVITY FREEZE AND HIRING A NEW MANAGER >> While major league player transactions will be at a standstill, the A’s can still hire a new manager during a lockout. With longtime manager Bob Melvin departed to San Diego to manage the Padres, the A’s search for a new skipper has begun. While the search can continue, the A’s may not make an official hire until the CBA is resolved and the organization has a clearer sense of direction from the league.
They can also sign minor league deals. The A’s dig up some of their best finds on minor league deals — so they could be plenty busy under water while the baseball world stands still above it.
The lockout does mean that rehabbing players are not permitted to work out or receive treatment at team facilities. So Ramón Laureano — who had core surgery in September during his 80game suspension for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs — cannot get treatment at the A’s facility in Arizona or at any team facility.
SALARY FLOOR AND CBT THRESHOLD >> Reportedly up for debate in negotiations is to add a salary floor for all teams. This would certainly impact the A’s, who operate with a payroll well below the league average under owner John Fisher and, this year, could slash it down to $40 million — which would be a hot contender for the lowest payroll in MLB in 2022.
MLB’s initial proposal in August set a $100 million salary floor. Though there’s little indication the players union would be into the idea as it could preclude a dreaded salary cap, a salary floor would force Fisher and the A’s to reconsider their big payroll slashing party this year and in any future year. Ownership would be forced to confront their biggest flaw: refusing to pay for popular players that could, at least, reward fans’ loyalty.
On the other end, the CBA could continue the competitive balance tax (luxury tax) that requires teams to pay a tax on money spent over a certain threshold. This is a threshold the A’s haven’t ever come close to, so it’s not a concern. ARBITRATION >> Any changes to the arbitration system could alter the A’s entire baseball ideology. The A’s most successful teams are built on a core inexpensive players under team control. Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt, for example, are just a few cost-controlled players with arbitration eligibility that peaked in value at their most affordable and can be traded when the price gets too high for owner John Fisher’s blood.
If arbitration eligibility shortens from six seasons to anything less, cheap players’ prices can skyrocket quicker and they can hit free agency sooner. That could shorten windows of contention as players will price the A’s out sooner. This may also force the A’s to adopt a different strategy in roster construction. Could they be forced to operate more like the Tampa Bay Rays, spinning more rapidly through the transaction wheel and selling off popular players earlier in their careers? Or it could force A’s ownership’s hand to raise their payroll budget for pricier free agents and team-controlled players.