The two sides met on Tuesday, marking the second consecutive day of discussions between the parties.
With less than a month before spring training camps are currently set to open, MLB and the MLBA met on Tuesday for the second straight day, but are still far from reaching a new collective bargaining agreement, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers.
MLB indicated for the first time Tuesday that it is open to a pre-arbitration bonus pool, something first proposed by the union, according to ESPN. However, there is a large gap between the amount the two sides want in the bonus pool. The players are asking for $105 million in the pool, while the league offered $10 million in its Tuesday proposal The money would go to the top 30 pre-arbitration players based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and those who win awards, such as the MVP and Cy Young.
According to The Athletic's Evan Drellich, MLB offered to increase the starting minimum salary for first-year players from its initial proposal of $600,000 to $615,000. The players, per ESPN, are looking for a minimum of $715,000.
On Monday, the MLBPA reportedly withdrew its proposal that asked for some players to enter free agency before they reach six years of service time. In a previous proposal, the union had requested that the sport revise its free agency structure so that older players—initially those who are at least 30 1/2 years old and then eventually 29 1/2—could reach the open market after five years of service time.
As noted by ESPN, issues such as revenue sharing and the competitive balance tax remain as central components that need to be agreed upon.
The league and the MLBPA could not reach a new collective bargaining agreement before Dec. 2, leading to the sport's first work stoppage in 26 years.
The 2022 schedule has not been impacted by the lockout as of Tuesday, but MLB could ultimately cancel a portion or all of spring training if the lockout extends for another few weeks. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to their teams’ spring training facilities in mid-February.
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