Most of the public narrative surrounding the MLB labor talks is blaming the owners. That’s understandable because they’re the ones who locked out the players. After getting burned in 1994 with a strike by the players late in the season, they wanted to prevent it from happening again. But for the game of baseball, it doesn’t matter if it’s a lockout or a strike. What matters is getting a deal done.
It’s important to remember MLB players have had the best collective bargaining agreement of any of the four major pro sports leagues in North America, and MLB is the only one without a salary cap and with fully guaranteed deals and no limit to contract lengths. Those facts won’t change when a new agreement is finally forged. In addition, after the MLB Players Association “lost” the last two CBA negotiations in most people’s eyes, they were going to “win” this round, even if they just accept the deal the owners have on the table.
The owners have listened to the players’ narratives on the major issues they want changed in the new CBA, and have made an offer that gives wins to the players (whether they’re draftees, prospects, non-arbitration eligible, veterans or free agents) while providing roster continuity and movement and enabling more players to make the postseason than ever before (outside of the 2020 season).
The owners still need to compromise in some key areas, but now it’s time for the Players Association to make a dramatic proposal to jump-start the negotiations and help avoid a delay to the start of the season. That’s right, I think the onus is on the players, not the owners, at this point. The union’s position has moved very little since the lockout began.