There will be baseball this year.
MLB and the MLB Players Union finally reached an agreement on their collective bargaining agreement Thursday afternoon.
MLB came back with one final proposal, and despite the union’s executive board voting against it, the majority of the team representatives voted for it. Final vote was 26-12 in favor of accepting. The board voted 8-0 against it, and teams voted 26-4 in favor. It is worth noting that six of the eight on the executive board are Scott Boras clients. The dissenting teams were the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.
The season is expected to start April 7, and the first Spring Training game on March 18th. Many players are already in the states where their teams have Spring Training, and they can first officially report Friday morning. The first official practices are expected to on Sunday.
The players waited out the owners long enough that they got most of the things they wanted, and will still have a full 162 slate of games. Gone are seven inning double headers and ghost runners. Pitchers will no longer be hitting. Teams have much more room for salary before they butt up against the luxury tax. The playoffs will now feature twelve teams.
Other items of note in the agreement of the five year deal are –
- A 45-day window where MLB can implement rule changes, such as a pitch clock, bam on shifts, and larger bases in 2023
- A draft lottery of six teams will be added with the intent to discourage teams from tanking
- Draft pick inducements to discourage service time manipulation
- Limits on the number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one season
- Minimum salary for players will rise from $575,500 to $700,000, increasing $20,000 per year after
- $50M pre-arbitration bonus pool
- CBT will be $230M in 2022, rising annually to $233M, $237M, $241M, and $244M
Games that have been currently scratched from the schedule will be made up in a series added to the end of the season, and double headers and using mutual off days.
The owners will hold a meeting at 6pm ET to ratify the agreement, and then immediately after that free agency will reopen.
Front offices have been able to talk to each other during this lockout, but they have not been able to talk to players. Key free agents for the Dodgers include Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, and Joe Kelly.
The weekend should be an absolute whirlwind of movement and signings of players like has never been seen before. Stay tuned, and maybe grab a nap.
I’ve been napping Andy. Anything happen in the last couple hours? 🙂
As I look at all the changes, I think the players did very well for themselves. Too bad it had to go down to the wire like this but it seems as though some good improvements have been made, both in salaries and rules.
Very happy and surprised they made a deal. Glad there is a universal DH. As there is a rush to get things started I wonder when the very incompetent commissioner will decide on Bauer as that effects the Dodgers in a number of ways.
Should be an interesting time between now and 7 April. Hoping a healthy ? Kershaw signs and also Kenley stays.
About damn time. Predictions, Kersh will sign with the Rangers, Freeman becomes a Dodger, Kelly resign’s with LA>
IMO, Kelly is hurt too much. He would need to sign for way less than his previous contract.
Kelly already got a 4 million buyout after making 8.8 mil last year so if he signed for 4.8 million it would still be like making the same salary he earned in 2021.
If we sign Freeman he can keep his old number 5 which Seager was kind enough to give up.
Just for any of you math nuts out there, over the life of his contract including the buy out Kelly was paid $275K per inning pitched!!!
Nice work if you can get it.
He lives in Rancho. His kid is in school there. I think he would sign a very friendly home deal. Kelly when healthy is about as nasty as they come, and his makeup is just plain mean.
I know it’s naive of me, but I hope I never see Kershaw in any other uniform, but the Dodgers.
Very naive. according to early reports, he has already been contacted by the Rangers. Look, if Kersh was the Kersh of 4 or 5 years ago, I could see him back in a Dodger uni. He has been off the field more than he has been on it lately. Sorry, as good as he once was, he is just not that guy now. And if he wants to pitch closer to home, I have zero problem with it. Dodgers sign LHP Daniel Zamora to a minor league deal. On a somber note, former Dodger, Odalis Perez passed away after hitting his head when he fell off of a ladder. RIP.
Agree
I agree, time to move on from Kershaw.
Kershaw allegedly didn’t need surgery. He’s 34 in a few days. Verlander had surgery at 37 and plans to pitch again. Granted, Verlander is a stronger horse than Kershaw, but if Kershaw didn’t require surgery, why can’t he pitch?
Plaschke says to cut Bauer and trade Lux for pitching. I don’t agree.
I just traded Plaschke to the Boise Tribune.
Kershaw had plattlett thing in lieu of surgery. Give him a $10M base and an innings pitched performance clause that allows him to “earn” the huge $$. Otherwise, I would rather root for him as a Ranger.
I like the idea of a player being able to play for his favorite and local team while a youth. He wants to be a Dodger. I want him for three years and would overpay him for the short contract if Kershaw winds up playing in Texas. I would want to trade Muncy if Freeman is signed.
I want Lux at second base and then move to short if Dodgers can’t extend Trea.
I hope Bauer can be traded with value coming back. I hear DeSantis wants him in Miami and that the Mets want to spend money. So, sign Freeman, package Muncy with Bauer, and make a 4 team trade for rotation help.
I read Kershaw didn’t need surgery because he didn’t have a
tear, just an itis. PRP is known to have mixed results. If he wants to go to Texas he should just go. If he wants to retire a Dodger, he could just stay for Fred’s deal or come back in 3 years when he’s 37 and still pitching.
Yes on Freddie.
I don’t want to trade Muncy unless he isn’t 100%. At 75% he’s worth 3 WAR so you can trade him then, but I want 4 WAR back. Bring me your proposal by the end of the week, which is tomorrow.
I’d like to see Lux in the lineup every day. It’s time.
No point in trading lux. He has no value now. Give him one more year. He is not a career minor leaguer until this fall.
He’s shown nothing so far, but he has talent. We have no one on the bench anyhow and he’s versatile.