Official CBA Negotiation Thread

It’s hard to say what’s fair, but the players have certainly moved their numbers down much more than the owners have moved their numbers up.

That whole 6 weeks without negotiating at the beginning of the lockout sure stings now.
 
Is baseball the only sport where no one seems to know how to build on successes to actually grow the sport. It is almost as if there is not a great leader working for both players and owners to grow the sport so that everyone gets richer.
 
I called a shorter regular season during the last season. Have not waivered.

The owners are horrible and greedy. Going to ruin the regular season to get 3 million more a year in TV money. Honestly the players have come down more than they should. The year should be lost until the owners step it up.
 
Canceling 2 series has just forced the players to refuse any playoff expansion for 2022. Considering playoff expansion was the biggest carrot driving the owners to negotiate, the catalyst for all current progress is now gone.

It seems like they will have to start from scratch, first negotiating 2022 financials with no expanded playoffs, then negotiate 2023+ financials with expanded playoffs.

Assuming they will waste a week doing nothing, this doesn't look like it will be over soon.
 
Last time there was a work stoppage the league attendance per game dropped by 6K. A steroid fueled HR chase brought fans back but it still took over a decade to regain those attendance numbers again. The fact that this is at the start of the season and not going to cause the playoffs to be canceled may help but missed games will sting.
 
So the players want the luxury tax raised so just the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers can spend more and buy even more players? If I were the other owners I’d vote no on it to. They have to have a majority vote on it I believe from the owners and they won’t get it.
 
Hudson2 said:
So the players want the luxury tax raised so just the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers can spend more and buy even more players? If I were the other owners I’d vote no on it to. They have to have a majority vote on it I believe from the owners and they won’t get it.
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I mean those deals often end badly.
 
They have the ability they just choose not to.

owners are not choosing to negotiate. They won't share their books. Want the public to pay for facilities. Hold down young player's values through international, draft, team control. Do not want to pay players when they get older.

They just don't want to share any profits with the actual players.

And they purposely killed the season to do it. They made more money on the shortened season and that's what they want.
 
Russ2dollas said:
They have the ability they just choose not to.

owners are not choosing to negotiate. They won't share their books. Want the public to pay for facilities. Hold down young player's values through international, draft, team control. Do not want to pay players when they get older.

They just don't want to share any profits with the actual players.

And they purposely killed the season to do it. They made more money on the shortened season and that's what they want.
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I am loathe to get government involved in professional sports (or really anything beyond where it is absolutely necessary), but you hit on a point here that makes some sort of intervention a good idea.

So many teams are using public funds to finance stadiums and/or other infrastructure related directly to the franchises' locations. Some sort of law requiring full disclosure of financial information for teams who benefit directly from public assistance might be a way to get some clarity as to the poor owners' financial woes.

There would obviously have to be limits. For example, a team that is 100% self-funded might get called to account by an overzealous government for having its charter flights (fully paid by team) using the municipal airport. Likewise, to avoid scrutiny the teams would have to pay full expenses for all police used for traffic control around games.
 
Russ2dollas said:
They have the ability they just choose not to.

owners are not choosing to negotiate. They won't share their books. Want the public to pay for facilities. Hold down young player's values through international, draft, team control. Do not want to pay players when they get older.

They just don't want to share any profits with the actual players.

And they purposely killed the season to do it. They made more money on the shortened season and that's what they want.
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It’s a sport and as players get older they decline. Why should the owners have to pay an older guy just because? Makes no sense. Sharing profits on top of paying say Scherzer 40+ million a year to is crazy to me. If you get paid a salary that both sides agree on then you shouldn’t get any extra. The player salary floor I agree should be raised so in case of injury you still get paid but I have to agree that if you’re making millions why should you get profits also?
 
Hudson2 said:
It’s a sport and as players get older they decline. Why should the owners have to pay an older guy just because? Makes no sense. Sharing profits on top of paying say Scherzer 40+ million a year to is crazy to me. If you get paid a salary that both sides agree on then you shouldn’t get any extra. The player salary floor I agree should be raised so in case of injury you still get paid but I have to agree that if you’re making millions why should you get profits also?
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Profit margin % for players is much higher than that of owners.

People don't understand finance/accounting so they actually think the players are somehow disproportionately compensated.
 
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I do find it funny that everyone is wanting to raise the luxury threshold when in reality most teams don’t even get to that point. So is it really the owners who are cheap or GM who learned that paying huge contracts to superstars or aging players is not wise. Now the players are mad because they want to force teams to pay more.

Seems like if MLB raised the threshold, nothing would change. Teams will still set budgets based on revenue and GMs will still negotiate deals to build the best teams to fit that budget. Then the super markets will just be able to buy more players with less penalties.

Maybe baseball should build a system where a hard ceiling is set for guaranteed salaries. But allow teams to negotiate salaries above guarantees. So FF can get a contract of 5/180 but only 120 is guaranteed. If FF gets hurt or pulls an Upton he can be released and only guaranteed portion is owed. Now players can make more and teams can be somewhat protected.
 
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