Is MLB headed toward a strike?
CLEVELAND – There are no threats, no allusions of intimidation ... really, not even raised voices.
Yet there also is not the slightest tinge of fear.
Major League Baseball players representing their brethren at the All-Star Game in Cleveland made it quite clear this week that they want changes, bigtime changes, in the next collective bargaining agreement, or there will be significant consequences.
Yes, even if it takes a work stoppage before the CBA expires Dec. 1, 2021 – the first strike in baseball since 1994-95.
“We are together on this,” Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell told USA TODAY Sports. “I know work stoppages in the past have worked to our benefit for the longevity of the game, the longevity of the player, and for the compensation of the player. Just for equal rights.
“We’ve met for years for preparation, and we’ll definitely see what happens in the future. Hopefully we can find common ground, but if not, we’re more than prepared. The one thing we’ve been taught, and we’ve heard it countless times, is to save your money the best you can because you never know what the future holds.”
There’s not a single active player who has endured a work stoppage. The average age of the National League’s starting lineup was 25.8, the youngest in baseball history.
They certainly aren’t eager to be the first class to end labor peace, but then again, they’re ready to take whatever step is necessary to restore cracks in their economic system.
“We’re very concerned. It’s been a little lopsided the last couple of years,” Boston Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez said, “and I know the association definitely wants to do something about it.”
Does that mean a willingness to strike? Absolutely.
“We’re all together,” Martinez said. “We all understand it. There’s a thought that the association is weaker than its ever been because of all of the younger players, but I think a lot of young players are beginning to understand. We’re all united.”
The belief among the players was always that the owners would hold the power over them when they first entered the league, paying close to the minimum salary as long as possible. But once they became free agents, they’d open those checkbooks.
“So, underpaid on your way in and overpaid on your way out, relatively speaking,” Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw said.
Teams no longer view free agents the same, particularly those in their 30s.
“Our free agency structure and our salary structure,” Kershaw said, “is that teams have a right not to pay guys when they’re getting older. The analytics say to pay guys in their prime, the younger guys. So, if that’s not going to happen anymore, we’ve got to find a way to get these guys paid during their peak years if they’re’ not going to be rewarded on the way out.”
Two dozen All-Stars were making between $555,000 - the league minimum and $1 million , but by the time they’re eligible for free agency and potential massive paydays, they may be passed over for the next generation.
Players were furious that the two biggest stars of the home-run derby, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, were stuck in the minors last season instead of being among the September call-ups and gaining service time.
Alonso made the Mets’ opening-day roster this year, but the Blue Jays kept Guerrero in the minors until mid-May, ensuring they could have an extra year of control before he hits free agency.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant had to play the waiting game in 2015, sitting out the first two weeks before being called up. He now can’t be a free agent until 2022.
“It stinks when you go through it, you feel for them, because I was disappointed too,” Bryant said. “It’s a little backwards, but that’s the way our sport is”
MLB All-Stars couldn’t help but be envious last week when NBA players were being signed in the first hours of free agency, with teams storming the freeagent doors like it’s a Black Friday sale after Thanksgiving.
In baseball, free agency became a drawn-out, excruciating process. The two biggest deals with Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, paying them a total of $630 million, weren’t done until after the start of spring training. Former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and saves leader Craig Kimbrel didn’t even sign until a month ago.
“How to solve some of our economic challenges is going to be paramount in our next negotiations with MLB,” Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer said. “The players are very cognizant what’s going on with economic situations because it’s not just affecting the peripheral players, its affecting every player.
“And every player is aware what’s going on. Every player is extremely much more educated than they ever were before. There’s much better leadership even among the players now and what we’re trying to do to make the correct changes within the game.”
The biggest problem, the players believe, simply is competitive balance. There are seven teams at the All-Star break already 17 ½ or more games out of first place, including five teams who are on pace to lose at least 100 games.
“I think the most overarching thing is competition,” Kershaw said. “You got to get 30 teams competing the best you can.”
If all 30 teams were trying to win, it would at least make free agency more interesting, preventing players such as five-time All-Star Adam Jones sitting without a job until mid-March. He eventually signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, accepting a $14 million pay cut.
The players want change, and they want it now, refusing to sit back and wait until the CBA expires after the 2021 season. Executive director Tony Clark has had one preliminary meeting with Commissioner Rob Manfred, and they plan to meet formally again this summer.