So the owners and MLB are so totally okay with ruining the game in the attempt to make more money. If I could create a CBA and MLB as a whole, it would look something like this:
- Expand to two more cities, one in each league
- Create four divisions of four teams in each league
- Balance the schedule more so that strength of schedule is more normalized, no more 19 games against teams in your division
- Reduce the schedule to 154 games
- Top 6 records from each league make it into the playoffs, and are seeded 1 thru 6
- Seeds 1 and 2 get a bye, Seed 3 plays Seed 6, Seed 4 plays 5. Best of 3 series to be played at higher seeds home stadium
- Round 2 operates where Seed 1 plays the lowest seed winner of the first round, Seed 2 plays the higher seed winner
- Round 3 is the Championship round
- Winners go to WS
- Rookie season is the only one at league minimum
- All players go to arbitration after their first year
- Team control is extended to 8 years instead of 6 or 7
- Salary floor for teams and harsh penalties (like loss of picks AND revenue) if they don't meet the floor, keep the floor at say 120M
- Hard salary cap, but make it pretty high, likely 275M, and going over means losing picks AND having to pay extra to MLB
- Include all the fixes to the minor league system that are being implemented slowly, like housing for players making under a certain amount and such
- Get rid of service time manipulation, you get called up, you are rookie eligible and your clock starts, team HAS to bring you up after spending 5 years in the minors for anyone signed over the age of 18 years old
- No more qualifying offer non-sense. No more forfeiting picks either. Every player who signs with a new team, the old team gets a compensation pick after Round 1 and the order in which they pick is a direct result of how they did in the standings the last year