The Major League Baseball Players Association have made the first proposal in what is expected to be a tense collective bargaining negotiation.
The Players Association outlined its position in a press release, with interim executive director Bruce Meyer saying the “proposals (are) designed to advance the rights and benefits of players at all levels.”
“Our goal is to preserve and improve baseball’s market system, rewarding competition on and off the field. Additionally, the players’ proposals provide increased revenue sharing initially guaranteeing every small market Club a minimum of $240 million in revenue every season,” Meyer said in the release. “This enhanced revenue sharing includes added protections to ensure Clubs prioritize winning over profiteering. Ultimately, our proposals are designed to build upon the incredible momentum and popularity of our sport worldwide.”
Some of the proposals from the MLBPA include:
- Significant increases to 40-man minimums, including a Major League minimum salary of $1.5 million beginning in 2027.
- Expanded pre-arb performance bonus program, distributing more dollars to more players.
- Expansion of salary arbitration eligibility.
- Enhanced compensation and contract guarantees for players in salary arbitration.
- Expansion of rules aimed at combating service time manipulation.
- Elimination of the qualifying offer as well as the penalties for Clubs that sign free agents.
- Increased benefits for lower revenue Clubs who lose players to free agency.
- Qualified free agency for players with five or more years of service who have reached age 30.
- “Luxury Tax” threshold increases and removal of non-monetary penalties.
- A new “Competitive Integrity Tax” applying to Clubs that fail to meet minimum payroll benchmarks.
- Expanded draft lottery to further disincentivize tanking.
The current CBA expires in December and commissioner Rob Manfred has not been shy about the fact that MLB is going to push hard for a salary cap. The union has historically been strongly against a cap, leading to multiple contentious battles over the years, and this negotiation is expected to be no different.
“We appreciate the union making a set of proposals and we look forward to continuing the bargaining process,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement shared with Evan Drelich of The Athletic. “We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address and in fact exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address.
“The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue clubs, weaken the competitive balance tax and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the Union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.”