As the owner-implemented lockout drags on into its fourth month, players may be poised to alter their bargaining position. Here's the report from ESPN's Buster Olney:
Sources: As the two sides look to jump-start the CBA talks, the union has approached MLB with an offer to re-open talks on the 14-team postseason field, with the idea it can exchange this for more flexibility on the CBT numbers and other issues.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2022
Expanded playoffs are probably atop owners' wish list during these negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). In prior proposals, the union has agreed to an expanded 12-team postseason field but has proved resistant to a 14-team field largely because of the extent to which it minimizes the importance of the regular season.
Speaking of which, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports on the players' preferred wrinkle in any 14-team postseason:
While the players agreed to a playoff expansion from 10 to 12 teams, they would consider expanding to 14 -- MLB's preferred number -- but only if the three-game wild-card series include a unique provision. To incentivize winning a division, the players have proposed using a 'game in hand' or 'ghost win,' in which a division winner in a three-game wild-card series would start the series with 'a win' and need only one more to advance.
Nny openness to a 14-team field -- and the larger television revenues it would bring -- means the players at least theoretically could extract a giveback from the league. As Olney indicates, players would like to see a significantly higher threshold on the competitive balance tax on payrolls, which has come to function as a salary cap. Thus far, the league seems disinclined to move much on the CBT, but perhaps the promise of a 14-team postseason would change that.
More from Olney:
Hearing from sources on both sides of the CBA talks that they are hopeful that a renewed discussion of the 14-team playoff field could be a potential breakthrough -- for talks that need a breakthrough.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2022
The two sides also remain at odds over the minimum salary moving forward and the size of a bonus pool for pre-arbitration players, among other matters. The CBT, however, scans as the most contentious issue.
Commissioner Rob Manfred recently announced the cancellation of the first two series of the 2022 regular season, and all indications are that the owner-forced lockout that's been in place since Dec. 2 won't be lifted until a new CBA, which is the agreement that governs the working relationship between MLB players and teams, is agreed upon. The two sides held a small-scale, informal meeting on Thursday, but it's not yet certain when more serious face-to-face talks will take place.
