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BASEBALL

Since December 2, 2021 MLB Players Have Been Locked Out Because Major League Baseball, Major League Players Association Failed To Reach New Agreement! Could That Change Thursday As MLB, MLBPA Meet?

Since December 2, 2021 players have been locked out by Major League Baseball because Major League Baseball, Baseball Players Association failed to reach a new bargaining agreement!

The MLB's previous proposal had done little to allay the union's stated concerns over artificial restraints on free agency, tanking, paying players more earlier in their careers and service-time manipulation. The league did offer to remove direct draft-pick compensation -- teams currently are penalized for signing top free agents -- and suggested a draft lottery to disincentivize teams from tanking to get a higher draft position. The proposed lottery would cover only the top three picks. It also raised the competitive-balance-tax threshold past the current $210 million mark to $214 million, far shy of the $245 million the union most recently proposed.

The players did move toward MLB's desire for an expanded postseason with a proposal to move from 10 teams to 12, though it fell short of the 14-team plan the league had proffered. While MLB is not fundamentally opposed to paying players earlier in their careers, its desire to do so while keeping salaries flat remains a problematic sticking point amid discussions that follow years of industry revenue growing and an average salary that stayed steady.

The tenor of the conversations mimicked that of contentious talks last year when the league and union tried to negotiate the shape of a season during the heart of the pandemic. Proposals from each side were wildly different and rarely moved, and instead of a negotiated settlement, Manfred imposed a 60-game season.

While the parties have managed to work well together on ancillary issues, divergent philosophies on the game's core economics drove a wedge into negotiations that has barely moved. The parties have yet to find common ground, and the coming months, with spring training looming, are likelier to better illustrate where they can find it.

“according to an article by Jeff Passan on espn.com”

Could that change Thursday as Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association meet?

Right now I don’t the answer to that question!

What I do know is that Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association plan to hold a a bargaining session sources told espn. During the bargaining session MLB is expected to make a core -economics proposal at the session , which would be the first between the sides since the league locked out the players on December 2, 2021.

“according to Jeff Passan’s social media account on Twitter”