The Big leagues they are experiencing their first lockout in the last 25 years and the ninth stoppage of activities in their history. Among the implications of this pause are about 200 free agents who are left in limbo because they did not sign before the old collective agreement expired (until December 1), although for the commissioner of the MLB, Rob Manfred, this is the best time for this to happen.
Unlike a strike, which is launched by the players, the lockout comes from the owners of the MLB. At this time, contracts cannot be signed, injured players cannot work with team personnel to rehab, zero communication between players and teams.
This is the fourth lockout in Major League Baseball history after those of 1990, 1976, and 1973, but there have also been five strikes in 1972, 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1995 that caused more havoc by causing 1,720 cancellations. matches.
Due to the current lockout, law enforcement officials baseball They cannot contact their own players, who must also exercise without a guide and without access to the club’s facilities.
The deadline to close a deal is February 15, when pitchers and catchers must report to spring training. The regular season is scheduled to open on March 31.
Simply put, we believe that an off-season lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season, ”said Rob Manfred in a statement posted on MLB.com.
“We hope that the lockout will boost negotiations and lead us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive blocking was necessary because the vision of the Major League Baseball Players Association threatened the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s just not a viable option. “
The disagreement stemmed from a proposal made Tuesday, Nov.30 by the Players Association to reduce eligibility for contact arbitration from three years to two and that free agency be reduced from six to five years, along with a reduction of 100. million dollars in revenue sharing. But the proposals were deemed inappropriate by the owners, who chose not to respond. It all came after MLB made concessions on the universal designated hitter, marginally raising the luxury tax threshold, raising the minimum wage and expanding the playoffs.
The reason Manfred calmly sees that the closure is now is because for the 2022 season to start on time, players need a training camp of at least three weeks (with expanded regular season rosters, as happened in the Spring Training 2020). That means the true pressure point occurs in the first week of March.
Another issue to address is that both players and owners seek to raise the minimum wage. From 2014 to 2021, the minimum wage has grown less than the inflation rate. Taking inflation into account, players who made the minimum were paid more in 2014 (about $ 584,000) than in 2021 ($ 570,500).
The minimum is especially important in today’s game as clubs approach a gig economy, dividing the work among more players. A record 1,373 players were used in 2021, 17% more than in 10 years. Last season, nearly half of the players (46%) earned less than $ 1 million and more than a third earned less than $ 600,000 (35%). With the current discussion, the minimum wage is expected to rise to 839,000.
Players want a more modernized payment system that rewards the younger ones better. Every year from 2015 to 2020, players 25 and under took 26% to 28% of all plate appearances. This year, that number plummeted to 19.7%, the lowest since 2004, when the game had just emerged from the so-called ‘Age of Steroids,’ in which gamers used illegal performance enhancers to keep jobs until they were 30. years.
Players argue that the system is broken, in a free agent market that will surpass the previous record of $ 2.3 billion. Upon turning 37, Max Scherzer set an average annual value record ($ 43.3 million) by 20% over Gerrit Cole and Mike Trout in their prime years. Others like Corey Seager signed a 10-year, $ 325 million deal with the Texas Rangers, the most lucrative contract ever signed before the lockout.
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx