Updated 3-10-22

With proposals going back and forth, it can be difficult to keep track of where each side stands in collective bargaining between MLB and the Players Association.  We’ll keep this post updated so you can use it as a reference.

Last Proposal From MLB: 3-10-22

Last Proposal From MLBPA: 3-9-22

Next Up: MLBPA reviewing counteroffer from MLB.  MLB included 3pm EST deadline

Here’s where each side stands on the key issues, as far as we know.

Minimum Salary

• MLB: $700K in 2022 / $715K in 2023 / $730K in 2024 / $750K in 2025 / $780K in 2026
• MLBPA: $710K in 2022 increasing to $780K in 2026
• Current gap: $10K in 2022, dropping to zero gap in 2026

Competitive Balance Tax

• MLB: Base tax thresholds at $230MM in 2022 / $232MM in 2023 / $236MM in 2024 / $240MM in 2025 / $244MM in 2026.  Pre-arbitration pool of $1.66MM per team would presumably count against the CBT.  Also seeking to add a new, fourth surcharge level to the CBT, with an unknown tax rate.  For example, MLB’s tiers for 2022 would be at $230MM, $250MM, $270MM, and $290MM with tax rates on the overages presumably increasing at each level.  Unclear whether tax rates increase for repeat offenders, as in the previous CBA.
• MLBPA: $232MM in 2022 / $235MM in 2023 / $240MM in 2024 / $245MM in 2025 / $250MM in 2026.
• Current gap: $2MM in 2022, growing to $6MM in 2026.  There also may be debate over what forms of spending count toward the CBT.

Draft Pick Compensation

The two sides have agreed that if an international draft agreement is reached by 7-25-22, the qualifying offer system and the associated draft-pick compensation will be eliminated. If the two sides do not reach a deal on the international draft by the deadline, the qualifying offer system will remain in place.

Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool

• MLB: $50MM pool with no increases throughout the CBA
• MLBPA: $65MM pool, assumed to include $5MM annual increases throughout the CBA
• Current gap: $15MM in 2022, growing to $35MM by 2026

Arbitration Eligibility

Super Two is expected to remain at the top 22% of 2+ players.

Service Time Manipulation

• MLB: Offering three draft picks within the player’s first three years if he finishes well in awards voting.  A player finishing first or second in Rookie of the Year voting would receive a full year of service time.
• MLBPA: Players receive a full year of service time in their rookie season if infielders, catchers, and designated hitters finish among the top five for their position in WAR in each league, with outfielders, relief pitchers and starting pitchers finishing among the top 15, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.  “The union also said it would accept a modification of MLB’s proposal that would reward draft pick compensation to teams whose players finish among the top three in the Rookie of the Year, MVP and Cy Young voting.” (per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on 2-1-22)

Anti-Tanking Measures

• MLB: Lottery for top six picks.  According to Evan Drellich, “Small markets can pick in draft lottery for two straight years before sliding to 10th pick. Large markets can pick only one year in lottery before going to 10th.”
• MLBPA: Lottery for top six picks.  All teams that did not qualify for the postseason in the preceding season would be part of this lottery.  So in a 12-team playoff field, 18 teams would have a chance at the #1 pick.  In the MLBPA’s proposal, the odds for the #1 overall pick would be as follows:
  • Team 1: 15% (the team with the worst record in baseball)
  • Team 2: 15% (the team with the second-worst record in baseball)
  • Team 3: 15%
  • Team 4: 12.5%
  • Team 5: 10%
  • Team 6: 8%
  • Team 7: 6.5%
  • Team 8: 5%
  • Team 9: 3.25%
  • Team 10: 2.25%
  • Team 11: 1.5%
  • Team 12: 1.25%
  • Team 13: 1.12%
  • Team 14: 1%
  • Team 15: 0.88%
  • Team 16: 0.75%
  • Team 17: 0.625%
  • Team 18: 0.375%

These odds would be adjusted as each of the first seven picks are given out via this lottery system.  After those seven lottery picks are assigned, the remaining non-playoff teams would be assigned picks in the reverse order of winning percentage.

The MLBPA is also proposing competitiveness adjustments.  Revenue sharing payors that finish in the bottom eight in winning percentage in each of the two previous seasons or in the bottom 12 in each of the three previous seasons would pick no earlier than 10th.  Additionally, any team that does not receive revenue sharing that finishes in the bottom 12 in each of the four or more previous seasons would have their pick moved to #18.

Also, beginning with the 2024 draft, any revenue sharing recipient finishing in the bottom eight in each of the three previous seasons would pick no earlier than 10th.  Any such club in the bottom eight in each of the four or more previous seasons would have their pick moved to #18.

Revenue Sharing

The two sides have agreed to move the Oakland Athletics back to a revenue sharing recipient.  It seems the MLBPA still has requests with regard to revenue sharing.

Expanded Playoffs

• MLB: 12-team playoffs
• MLBPA: 12-team playoffs

On-Uniform Advertising

The two sides have agreed to uniform patches and helmet decals.

International Draft

The two parties have set a July 25 deadline to determine the specifics of an international draft that would go into effect beginning in 2024. If a deal on the draft is reached by that point, the qualifying offer system and the associated draft-pick compensation will be eliminated. If the two sides do not reach a deal on the draft, the qualifying offer system will remain in place and the current international amateur free-agent structure will remain in place.  Possible details of MLB’s international draft plan can be found here and here, but specifics will remain subject to negotiation up until the deadline.

Amateur Draft

The size of the amateur draft pools remains unsettled, among other related issues.

Minor League Options

The two sides have agreed to limit the number of times a player can be optioned to the minors in one season to five.

Rule Changes

• MLB: Seeking ability to implement any on-field rule changes 45 days after formally proposing them to players.  MLB seeks a pitch clock, bigger bases, and the elimination of the shift for the 2023 season.
• MLBPA:  “Would grant MLB ability to implement 3 specific on-field changes w/45-day notice, starting w/2023 season: pitch clock, larger bases, shift restriction,” according to Evan Drellich.

Universal Designated Hitter

This seems to be generally agreed upon by both sides.

MLBPA’s 2018 Grievance

In February 2018, the MLBPA filed a grievance against the A’s, Marlins, Pirates, and Rays for failing to comply with the rules for spending revenue sharing money.  MLB wants this grievance dropped.

4:45pm: If the union rejects all of the league’s proposals regarding the international draft/QO, MLB believes there’s nothing left to discuss today, tweets Rosenthal. Presumably, that’d end negotiations and result in the league announcing further game cancelations.

4:38pm: Under the league’s “reopener” option, the union would have to decide whether to agree to an international draft on November 15, 2022. If they agree, the draft would go into effect in 2024. If they refuse, MLB would have the right to unilaterally reopen the entire CBA after the 2024 campaign (via Drellich).

4:29pm: The league hasn’t presented the MLBPA with a full proposal. It’s instead waiting on the union’s decision regarding the qualifying offer/international draft before discussing other topics, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

4:05pm: Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet report the players are meeting internally to determine their next steps, including whether to put forth the owners’ latest proposal for a formal vote.

3:48pm: Rosenthal tweets that the players find the possibility of allowing the league to unilaterally reopen the CBA if no international draft is in place by 2024 unappealing.

3:20pm: Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports (Twitter thread) that MLB has offered the union some flexibility on the proposed international draft/qualifying offer. That tradeoff remains on the table, but if it’s truly a non-starter for the MLBPA, the league has put some other proposals forward.

According to Rogers, MLB is willing to take both the international draft and the elimination of draft pick compensation for free agents off the table. That’d leave both the existing international signing setup and the qualifying offer system for free agents as they’d been. Alternatively, MLB is willing to immediately eliminate the QO and push the international draft question back a couple seasons. If the MLBPA remains opposed to implementing the draft at some point down the line, the league would have the right to reopen the entire CBA.

The gap has also closed on the minimum salaries. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter) the latest union proposal would have a $710K league minimum in 2022. That’s just $10K north of the league’s proposed $700K figure. The league’s offered minimum would finish at $770K by the end of the CBA, while the union is seeking $780K by 2026. That gap shouldn’t be hard to close.

2:41pm: Evan Drellich of The Athletic tweets that the union’s proposal dropped its bonus pool proposal to $65MM, while their proposed CBT thresholds dropped a good bit further. After previously seeking year-to-year thresholds of $238MM, $244MM, $250MM, $256MM and $263MM, today’s proposal from the union offered thresholds of $232MM in 2022, $235MM in 2023, $240MM in 2024, $245MM in 2025 and $250MM in 2026.

Those new thresholds from the MLPBA represent respective gaps of $2MM, $3MM, $4MM, $5MM and $8MM from the league’s proposed thresholds. Their $65MM bonus pool checks in $25MM north of the league’s proposed $40MM (the equivalent of $833K per team).

2:30pm: Many Latin players consider the potential implementation of an international draft a “nonstarter,” tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The MLBPA’s counteroffer also still sought additional movement in CBT thresholds and the size of the pre-arbitration bonus pool. SNY’s Andy Martino adds that ownership has become pessimistic after the union yet again rejected the notion of an international draft, which the league has sought to exchange for the elimination of draft compensation (Twitter thread).

Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet repot (via Twitter) that the league is expected to present the union with its own counter in the near future. A player vote could be conducted following that next MLB counter. Each team’s union rep and the eight members of the MLBPA executive subcommittee would be involved in that vote, which would require a simple majority to pass.

1:24pm: The MLBPA’s contingent has left the league’s offices after presenting a counteroffer, tweets Yahoo’s Hannah Keyser.

2:08am: The Players Association “requested to speak to its board again early tomorrow before coming back with a proposal,” an MLB official told Evan Drellich of The Athletic and other reporters.  No games have been canceled yet.  “Significant gaps remain between the sides,” a source tells SNY’s Andy Martino.

12:42am: There is hope for a collective bargaining agreement today between MLB and the Players Association.  Both sides continued to work in their respective New York City offices as Tuesday bled into Wednesday.  On Tuesday, MLB made an offer to the players that moved toward them in several key areas, including the competitive balance tax, the minimum salary, and the size of the new pre-arbitration bonus pool.  The MLBPA has tendered a counteroffer, the details of which are unknown at this time.

Aside from the remaining financial gaps, MLB’s offer came with a few sticking points.  One is the concept of a new, fourth competitive balance tax tier.  In the previous CBA, the levels were named the Base Tax Threshold, First Surcharge Threshold, and Second Surcharge Threshold.  The owners would like to add a Third Surcharge Threshold.  Using the owners’ latest offer, the 2022 thresholds would be set at $230MM, $250MM, $270MM, and $290MM, with increasing tax rates for each tier.  That new Third Surcharge Threshold would always sit $60MM above the Base Tax Threshold.

The owners are also insisting on the institution of an international draft.  The last known details on this come from Anthony Castrovince’s article for MLB.com on March 5, but keep in mind that “lead negotiators Bruce Meyer & Dan Halem [are] believed to be discussing that topic actively,” as per an 11:36pm March 8 tweet from Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.  Furthermore, MLB is said to be tying its offer to eliminate free agent draft pick forfeiture to the international draft.

It’s also worth noting that MLB’s last known offer was for a $40MM pre-arbitration bonus pool that did not increase throughout the five-year CBA.  The MLBPA’s last known proposal came in at $80MM in 2022 with growth to $100MM in ’26.  Nicholson-Smith has noted that “players have indicated a willingness” to move to a $70MM starting point growing to $90MM.  That would still mark a sizable gap.

As you can see in my post summing up the latest known positions of each side, the once-cavernous gaps are narrowing with the prospect of a 162-game season hanging in the balance.  The new draft lottery concept seems set to include the first six picks, although other details such as penalties for teams finishing near the bottom of the standings in consecutive seasons may yet need to be hashed out.  Both sides have been in agreement on the universal designated hitter for a while now.  The sides seem to be coming together on reducing the amount of notice MLB needs to make on-field rule changes.  And perhaps most importantly, there seems to be consensus that the playoffs will be expanded to 12 teams in a potential new CBA.

On Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote that MLB suggested “that if a deal comes down Tuesday, players can be in spring training camps by Friday, and lost games could be made up on off days and with doubleheaders.”  Tuesday came and went without an agreement, but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted last night, “The new deadline is now Wednesday afternoon for the two sides to reach an agreement before MLB cancels another week of games.”  It’s fair to question the necessity of MLB’s ever-changing deadlines, but it’s clear that today is pivotal as we wait to see if the league’s lockout will end on its 98th day.

The MLBPA has dropped their proposal to change the percentage of players with 2+ years of service who are eligible for salary arbitration, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Evan Drellich of The Athletic phrases it slightly differently, reporting, “The MLBPA is willing to drop proposal to expand salary arbitration if rest of numbers work out.”  Since 2013, the top 22% of those with 2+ years of service, known as Super Two players, have been eligible.  The MLBPA initially sought to make that 100% of 2+ players, moving steadily downward in their recent proposals.  MLB has considered changing the 22% figure to be a non-starter, despite agreeing to a change in this area a decade ago.

In what might amount to one of the players’ biggest wins in this CBA, MLB previously agreed to a new pre-arbitration bonus pool concept that will reward top performers before they reach salary arbitration.  At last check, the MLBPA had been seeking a $115MM pool.  Early Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (among many others) reported that MLB is currently offering $25MM for that pool.  So, there’s still a significant gap here to bridge.

Goold also notes that MLB is offering a $675K minimum salary for 2022, up from $570,500 in 2021.  MLB has proposed increasing that by $10K per year through the five-year CBA.  The lowest-known MLBPA proposal was $775K in 2022, ascending all the way to $895K in 2026.

On the important topic of the competitive balance tax, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says MLB is currently proposing base tax thresholds of $220MM in 2022, $220MM in 2023, $220MM in 2024, $224MM in 2025, and $230MM in 2026.  Notably, MLB has dropped its proposal to increase the tax rates for exceeding the thresholds.  At last check, the players were seeking CBT thresholds ranging from $245MM in ’22 to $273MM in ’26, so there is plenty of work to be done here.

It appears increasingly safe to expect a 12-team playoff field this year, as well as the universal designated hitter — although it bears repeating that even these generally agreed-upon items are all part of package proposals.  The league and union have not agreed on any items in isolation, but rather agreed on certain inclusions or exclusions as part of larger proposals that are gaining traction.  Some major components of a theoretical agreement that remain unsettled right now include draft pick compensation for signing free agents, how anti-tanking and anti-service time manipulation measures will look, whether the A’s will be restored as a revenue sharing payee, on-uniform advertising, an international draft, and how much lead time MLB will need to provide for on-field rule changes.

According to Drellich at 7:57am central time today, MLB is willing to drop draft pick compensation for free agents, and they want the first five picks to be subject to the draft lottery.  At last check, the MLBPA wanted the lottery to encompass the first seven picks in the draft, and perhaps more importantly were seeking penalties for teams that finish bottom eight to twelve in consecutive seasons.

Though significant work remains to be done in many key areas, each side has finally dropped its most extreme demand at the 11th hour: increased CBT penalties for MLB, and expansion of Super Two for the MLBPA.  As an MLB spokesman put it, “We made progress. We want to exhaust every possibility.”  Baseball fans have good reason to be hopeful a deal can be reached prior to MLB’s new 5pm deadline today.  Talks are set to resume at 10am.