MLB and the Players Association will meet again. Pace has officially picked up

The latest talks between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball have picked up.

Richard Wachtel

Jan 24, 2022 - 1 min read

As we inch closer to the date of when Pitchers and Catchers were planning on heading to either Flordia or Arizona, the Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association made a date to meet again on Tuesday in mid-town which is a good sign. It was just only days ago that Major League Baseball made a proposal that was met with a lack of enthusiasm from the Players Union.

In today's Major League Baseball negotiation news: there is no deal, but at least there is another meeting planned. According to multiple reports, Monday's meeting between the league and the player's union ended with a slight step forward in scheduling another meeting. The two sides will reconvene on Tuesday, marking the first time in the negotiations that they have met two days in a row.

Also according to sources, during Monday's negotiations, the players dropped their attempt for an age-based free agency system. Current league rules, a player becomes a free agent after six years of "service time," and this is what the players are trying to change in the next CBA. Their proposal is to help players reach free agency earlier and therefore secure money earlier in their careers. The players, according to The Athletic, had previously pitched an idea where players could become free agents after five years if they were 30.5 years old. That eventually came down to 29.5 before being rejected.

Also according to reports from today's meeting is that there was a discussion on if players should or what percentage of revenue should be allotted to the players. The players union altered their stance slightly, per reports. Between revenue sharing and free agency, the players are reportedly feeling as though they’ve made two major concessions.

It’s unlikely if not impossible that a deal is reached on Tuesday, but the fact that there will be communication at all is a pretty sizable step forward given the snail’s pace at which things had proceeded thus far.