Oakland A’s News: MLB season delayed, international draft deal spoils

What a Thursday it is, Athletics Nation.

April 14 is now the earliest we’ve seen MLB players hit the field, as after negotiation sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, MLB and MLBPA couldn’t agree on a new deal. collective agreement.

This delay is a little different from the original deadline set by MLB last week, as Wednesday afternoon both sides had almost met in the middle for most number-based elements of a new ABC. MLB adding an international player draft to yesterday’s proposal turned what once again looked like a promising trade streak into yet another season delay. A similar last-minute addition of terms by MLB was part of what held up talks last week and caused the initial delay to the season, when they submitted rule changes to the CBA that hadn’t not been discussed before. A draft of international players seemed inevitable since the last CBA signed in 2016, but it hadn’t entered the current negotiations in any major way until this week.

The Players’ Association’s reluctance to immediately agree to an international draft is by no means shocking. Even if he had to wait until 2024 to come into force as proposed by MLB, there are many layers and impacts on a new player draft that must be considered. The owners also tied the international draft to the union’s request to remove the qualifying offer and its associated compensation on the amateur draft. The MLBPA’s need to review its options led to the owners issuing an ultimatum, with a 162-game season on the line:

The players made a counter offer rather than accepting one of MLB’s three options, and the league immediately announced the removal of additional games from the scheduleA declaration that MLBPA took umbrage at because they wanted to continue to negotiate.

MLB’s response now adds complexity to the negotiations ahead, as we have reached the point where 162 games cannot be realistically played in the time frame now available for a season – barring a major schedule shake-up after the CBA signature. It means that the number of games played in 2022 and how players will be paid for those games becomes another element that needs to be agreed in the ABC. This will be an additional complication that will likely lead to further disagreements between the two sides and further delays to the season.

For now, here’s how things look:

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