cba

New York Yankees: What’s in store for a new CBA and the game of baseball?

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The New York Yankees and the other 29 teams are at a post-season standstill, as there is a lockout in place because the owners and players couldn’t come to a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) at the expiration of the old agreement on December 1st. Meanwhile, the wheels have fallen off the wagon with no transactions or trades being made.

Through all of this, the fans are the losers with nothing happening. Many fans aren’t aware of what is at stake with a new agreement. That is not surprising because neither side is talking for the most part, and although negotiations are going on, they are moving at a snail’s pace. So, what exactly is at stake for the game, and what are the primary issues to be resolved?

  • The Players want more money sooner in their careers.
  • They want changes to arbitration or an earlier path to free agency.
  • Will there be a universal designated hitter?
  • Robot strike zone in some form.
  • Limiting pitcher throws to first base.
  • Reducing the distance between home plate and the pitching rubber.
  • Will the 10th inning rule continue?
  • Will doubleheaders be 7 or 9 innings?
  • Slightly larger bases with a less-slippery surface
  • A requirement that all four infielders have their cleats within the outer boundary of the infield dirt when the pitch is delivered.
  • A requirement that pitchers must step off the rubber to attempt a pickoff.
  • Ending the shift.
  • Players want to secure a more significant portion of the pie this off-season.

All of these items would be up to discussion in a perfect world. The fact is that they probably won’t be put into the negotiations by the owners. If they do, the players could look for a quid pro quo situation, where they accept a rule change in exchange for a financial concession. Many rule changes could lead to a better, faster-played game to benefit the fans that most think is too long. But it is not likely these rules will be discussed. The owners realize that Commissioner Manfred can make any of these changes on his own, giving the union a one-year notice.

Many fans have long complained that the 9 inning game lasts too long and that some extra-inning games are downright excruciating. In 1975 the average length of a 9 inning game was 2 hours and 25 minutes. In 2021 that climbed to 3 hours and 8 minutes and has increased in each of the last three years. Many AL East games last up to 4 hours or more  The longest game in 2021 was 5 and a half hours, between the Dodgers and the Padres, and that is with the man on second rule. Something must be done as the game of baseball is losing fans.

The main problem in these negotiations is that both sides are looking to improve their financial best interest, while what is good for the game and the fans takes a backseat. If they worked with each other in good faith and did what was best for the game, neither side would likely be hurt unequally.

The owners have always wanted a salary cap, which likely would be good for the game but would hurt superstar players. Knowing that the players will have nothing to do with that proposal, although the owners are not making that an issue in this new agreement. It should be noted that the NFL, NBA, and NHL all have salary caps. There are two concessions that could be made that would likely appease both parties and could lead to further agreements. One is for the owners to raise starting pay for young players. The union could offer to create an international draft.

What comes out of these negotiations, nobody knows. We also don’t know how long the lockout will last or if the lockout will prevent the start of spring training or even the beginning of the 2020 season. For the benefit of the game and the fans, both sides will have to make concessions to end this lockout sooner than later.

There are a couple of reasons that we give the owners the edge in the negotiations, and that is they can play the long game. Their stakes in the sport are almost guaranteed to stretch decades longer than any athlete’s playing career. Right now, the owners are relatively happy with the economic status quo. The players aren’t and are tired of the owners coming out on top in these CBA negotiations. They have said that they are not going to allow that this year. So this synopsis does not spell for an early end in the labor negotiations.

New York Yankees: It’s 1994 all over again, what you need to know

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The New York Yankees and all of major league baseball went into lockout when the owners and the players couldn’t come to an agreement on a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement). This is the first work stoppage in baseball in 27 years. Although there are some differences, it is like 1994 all over again. This is a lockout by the owners; in 1994, it was a walkout by the players; nevertheless, the result is the same, no baseball interactions by any of the parties involved until a new agreement can be reached.

For all practical purposes, it means the players and owners can’t talk to each other. That means no trades, no more insane contracts offered to players, coaches can’t even work with players. Pitchers and catchers are to report to spring training in February, but they won’t be getting any instruction from trainers, coaches, or manager Aaron Boone. It has yet to be seen if players are locked out of spring training sites. Depending on the lockout length (in 1994, it was seven and half months), the 2022 season may not start on time or may not be played at all.

For baseball fans everywhere, most find both sides responsible, the players who are crying after making millions a year to play a game they love and the owners for being just as greedy. Forgetting the issues for a moment and looking deep into the responsibility for the lockout, it gets quite confusing. Without the owners, the ballplayers have no job. The owners spend millions on new ballparks, refurbishing older ones, paying players, in some cases insane amounts to play, and all the other associated costs of putting on a ballgame. This is not to recognize that owners make revenues from ticket sales, merchandise, and TV revenues.

On the player’s part, yes, most struggle in the early years of their careers in the minors, with relatively low pay and, in some cases, substandard living conditions that have significantly improved in recent years. But the reality is, isn’t that true of most workers, no matter what career they choose, the more considerable earnings come with time and experience. An example across all careers is that in the early years, you may have to share an apartment with a friend to get by, but after, say, 10 years, you may be able to afford a home. The big difference between the average Joe and a baseball player is that Joe will likely never make millions a year.

This writer tends to side with the owners who have much more at stake than the players do. However, the ballplayers do have some issues that should be addressed in their favor. The owners have supported a salary cap forever, but the players will have no part of that. If you think about it, a player that is paid $43 million a year to start 25-30 games in the course of a season makes nearly a million and a half dollars to pitch five or six innings. That is insane when an average family of four can’t afford to attend a ballgame. Not to dwell on the subject, but think about it a second. That pitcher makes more money in between pitches in one game than the ticket buyer makes annually.

To understand the work stoppage, let’s take a look at other stoppages through the years:

  • 1972: Players struck over a pension dispute. It lasted about two weeks, disrupting the 1972 season.
  • 1973: The owners locked out the player over salary arbitration during spring training that year.
  • 1976: Owner lockout during spring training over the evolving issue of player-free agency.
  • 1980: In 1980, if issue of free agency again halted spring training.
  • 1981: Players strike over free-agent compensation. The 1981 season was nearly destroyed when two months of playing time was lost.
  • 1985: Players strike over pension fund and salary arbitration. This stoppage only lost two games of the season.
  • 1990: Owner lockout over salary arbitration and free agency. Began during spring training, causing a delay in the start of the 1990 season.
  • The 1995 season was significantly abbreviated. 1994: Players strike largely over owners’ desire to implement a salary cap. This happened in August and canceled the remainder of the season, including the postseason. At the time, the Yankees were 70-43. Play resumed only after a federal judge reinstated terms of the previous CBA.
  • 2021: Owners lockout players when agreement is not evident. Players want more money sooner in their careers and want owners to stop manipulating how long a player remains in the minors. The union also wants a luxury tax overhaul to lure teams to spend more on player salaries without fear of harsh tax penalties. The players also want a higher beginning salary that now stands at $570,000. These are just some of the issues that have not been resolved. It should be pointed out that if no progress is made, the sides could agree to keep the present agreement in force to prevent the loss of the 2022 season.

For fans, they see both sides of the issues, not being sincere and willing to work together to make the game better for the sake of the fan and the game itself. Every time there is a work stoppage, fans leave the sport.

The biggest target for disgruntled fans is Commissioner Rob Manfred that has a very low approval rating that is near the bottom of the trash can. For Yankee fans, they will never forgive him for not stripping the Houston Astros of their 2017 World Series win after it was proved that they cheated. That aside, he has not been seen as doing what if best for the game. One thing that should be known about Manfred is that he is a graduate of Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and has a law degree from Harvard. He should be the perfect person to resolve these issues but has failed.

“Things like a shortened reserve period, $100 million reduction in revenue sharing, and salary arbitration for the whole two-year class are bad for the sport, bad for the fans, and bad for competitive balance,” Manfred recited on Thursday, while noting that the players have not budged on any of these issues. He also said the owners have already made concessions.”

“While we have heard repeatedly that free agency is ‘broken’ — in the month of November $1.7 billion was committed to free agents, smashing the prior record by nearly 4x,” Manfred penned, likely echoing what he’s heard from the crybaby billionaires whose collective interest he represents. “By the end of the offseason, Clubs will have committed more money to players than in any offseason in MLB history.”

In addition to the issues at hand, the players believe the owners have had their way in recent agreements and are not going to let that happen again. Tony Clark, leader of the players union, has been less verbal about the lack of an agreement, but he did say on Thursday:

“From the outset, it seems as if the league has been more interested in the appearance of bargaining than bargaining itself,” said Clark, who then stressed that M.L.B. wasn’t required to impose a lockout. He added, “And contrary to the statement that imposing a lockout would be helpful in bringing negotiations to a conclusion, players consider it unnecessary and provocative. This lockout won’t pressure or intimidate players into a deal that they don’t believe is fair.”

With the sides still very far apart, and neither side willing to work in good faith, it spells for a very long work stoppage, as seen by most industry insiders. Stay with EmpireSportsMedia.com for all the latest developments.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam.