“I’m an optimist, and I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular-season schedule.” – Rob Manfred
It has been a tough few months not only for Atlanta Braves fans wondering if the team will re-sign Freddie Freeman but also for everyone who loves the game of baseball. The lockout has been a tough time, but we recently heard from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the matter.
The struggle between the owners and the players has seemingly reached a stalemate, and commissioner Rob Manfred stepped to the podium to give us an update. Here is a quick overview of the topics discussed.
Draft Lottery
Manfred’s first point was that both sides have agreed to institute a draft lottery.
There was no indication of how many picks would be included in the lottery. This was reported as a possibility a few weeks ago with anywhere from the top three to top eight picks being in the lottery.
While we will have to wait to see how many teams will enter the lottery, this move is a step towards attempting to prevent tanking from teams. However, draft picks are not as valuable as NFL or NBA draft picks, so it will be interesting to see how much this prevents teams tanking.
Pay
The players are adamant that the young players need to be paid more and the owners agreed. The owners have proposed significantly raising salaries, but that number was not mentioned in the press conference.
A report from Ken Rosenthal a few days ago reported players wanted minimum salary to be $775,000. However, owners proposed $615,000 in year 1, $650,000 in year 2, and $700,000 in year 3.
The owners have also agreed to the concept of a bonus pool for the game’s best young stars. Pre-arbitration players would be eligible for compensation under this bonus pool. Reports say the bonus pool could go to players who finish in top voting in categories such as Rookie of the Year, or it could be determined by using fWAR.
One report recently said owners suggested $10,000,000 for the bonus pool while players asked for $105,000,000.
Universal DH
One of the main points most viewed as a certainty is finally here. Both sides have agreed to a Universal DH.
Max Fried will go down as the last NL Pitcher to win the Silver Slugger award.
Max Fried wins his first Silver Slugger Award and joins infielders Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies to give the #Braves four Silver Slugger Awards, matching the franchise record they set in 2020. Fried already won his second Gold Glove Award.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 11, 2021
Removal of Draft Pick Compensation
Both sides have agreed to remove draft pick compensation for losing free agents. Along with the universal DH, this is viewed to improve the free agent market for the players.
The DH will increase the number of jobs, while removing the draft pick compensation will allow players to sign more freely as teams will no longer have to worry about losing a pick.
Service Time
Rob Manfred said a proposal has been made regarding service time but was vague regarding it.
Some reports have claimed that if a player reached a certain age, he could become a free agent with less than six years of control. Other reported proposals have stated that a player could accelerate their service time clock by winning certain awards or by placing highly in those races.
Very vague on this one.
Expanded Playoffs
Manfred made it clear the owners want to expand the playoffs saying it is “good for players and for clubs. It’s also good for our fans.” Claiming that more teams in the playoffs will be exciting.
This has long been one of the well-known demands from the owners. There would be more money made by having expanded playoffs.
Revenue Sharing
Rob Manfred claims the players are insisting to reduce revenue sharing, which is one of the main causes of concerns from owners.
Owners believe this would make the game less competitive and compared it to asking certain teams to take a “pay cut.”
Will Baseball Start on Time?
Rob Manfred says the owners will be making a proposal on Saturday hoping to get a deal done. He did express concern over the players rejecting the notion of bringing in a third party to help mediate the meetings.
He does say that Spring Training is currently on as scheduled and there is currently no change to the schedule.
“I’m an optimist, and I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular-season schedule.” – Rob Manfred
Manfred says missing games would be a disastrous outcome for baseball and for both parties. He did say that he believes Spring Training would need to be four weeks to allow players to be ready for the season.
That means we need to get started by March 1st. It also means we need a week or so for the remaining free agents.
It was nice to get an update straight from one of the sources, but time is beginning to run out, and the start of baseball is in jeopardy.