Manfred optimistic there will be labor deal with no games lost
ORLANDO — With plans to return to the negotiation table Saturday in New York, Rob Manfred struck a surprisingly optimistic tone about the MLB season and even the beginning of spring training as the owners’ quarterly meetings wrapped up Thursday at the Waldorf Astoria.
“I am an optimist and I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular schedule,” the MLB commissioner said Thursday morning.
Manfred said the proposal that owners agreed to make on Saturday is a “good proposal” and he is hopeful that there will be one break in the negotiations which will move them closer to getting the players back on the field.
As of Thursday morning, Manfred said there is “no change” to the spring training schedule, though realistically the union and owners would be walking a thin line on that.
“No change right now. We’re going to have a conversation with the [Players Association] about the calendar, we understand what the calendar is, but until we have that conversation and until we see how this session on Saturday goes it’s no change,” Manfred said before leaving town.
Pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report to spring training camps early next week and would likely have already been onsite doing individual workouts. Spring training games are scheduled to begin in 16 days. The Yankees had splitsquad games at Sarasota and hosting the Phillies on Feb. 26.
Logistically, after terms of a collective bargaining agreement are reached, it would have to be ratified by both the owners and the players. Manfred, however, said that he realistically expects that it would take “a few days” to get back up and running. He indicated it could take less than a week.
But after the 2020 coronavirus-interrupted season, MLB feels strongly that they will need four weeks of spring training. That year, after closing down camps for four months, the teams ramped up in three weeks and many injuries were linked to the short preparation time.
That is all irrelevant if the sides do not make concessions on the core economic issues.
The union made their last proposal on Feb.1, which made small changes to the bonus pool framework for pre-arbitration players and draft pick incentives for teams to break camp with their top prospects. It expected to get a response from owners last week. Instead the owners asked to have a federal mediator step into the process, a request the union quickly declined — the players said a federal mediator would slow down the negotiation process.
The players, though, maintained their stances on other issues, including the two sticking points for the owners: MLB said it will not negotiate on changes to revenue sharing among teams and salary arbitration eligibility.
Manfred stressed that the owners are offering “hundreds of millions” over the term of a new agreement as far as creating a bonus pool of money for pre-arbitration players, increasing the minimum salary and proposing a universal designated hitter, which will create more high-paying spots on rosters.
“We have listened carefully throughout this negotiation and we have moved towards the players on key areas in an effort to address their concerns,” Manfred said, opening the press conference Thursday. “We’ve proposed an agreement that is better in every respect than the expired contract. For the first time in history, and despite substantial opposition by some clubs, we’ve agreed to institute a draft lottery to address the players’ concern about clubs not competing. The players have said throughout the process that a key priority is getting young players paid more. We agree and we actually share that goal. That’s why we’ve proposed increasing pay to young players through significantly increased minimum salaries. And by accepting the concept bought by the players to have a bonus pool for the game’ special young stars. “Under our proposal on the table, every single pre-arbitration player would be better off than under the previous agreement,” Manfred continued. “We’ve agreed to a universal designated hitter and the elimination of draft choice compensation. These changes will improve the free agent market by creating additional jobs that are often filled by veteran players. And actually eliminating the drag from compensation, we’ve made a meaningful proposal directly responsive to the players’ long-standing concern about service time of young players.”
Manfred also made clear that the owners want expanded playoffs and that they stand firm on revenue sharing.
“In total, the proposals we’ve made would move the agreement decidedly in the players’ direction,” he said. “Where the clubs have been and remain unwilling to move is in response to player proposals that we believe will undermine the competitive balance in our game. For example, the players’ insistence that we reduce revenue sharing will without question lead to less competition, not more. Changing the current agreement by taking resources from clubs with relatively limited revenue will make the game less competitive and we need to think about it. It’s like asking people to take a pay cut.”