The Next CBA (2027 and beyond)

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https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-cba-proposal-roster-stability

new owner proposal. Highlights (via Passan)

- A free agent dead period until the first day of the Winter Meetings in early December in which players and teams can negotiate but no deals can be signed. Trades would be allowed during this period
- Free agency would open the Monday the Winter Meetings begin and would close Dec. 21.
- From Dec. 21 through the first Monday in February, no free agent signings or trades would be allowed
- Free agents could sign and trades would be allowed again from the first Monday in February onward

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MLBPA head Bruce Meyer responds:

"The league, through their propaganda arm, is promoting their latest set of roster and transaction proposals as player-friendly.

"MLB expressly conditioned these proposals on the players’ agreement to a salary cap system, which would drastically reduce overall player compensation, eliminate fully guaranteed contracts through escrow, and turn back the clock on fundamental player rights.

"Their latest proposals regarding free agency would eliminate Player rights by establishing an artificial free agency window, subject to a salary cap, which would reduce player leverage and create a game of musical chairs pitting player vs. player.

"The suggestion that the only way to limit roster churn, or incentivize earlier Free Agent signings is with a salary cap is entirely unserious. Players have proposed changes that would address these priorities, but the league is not interested in any changes that don’t directly reduce the rights of all players and shift leverage to the owners."

[Natsinpwc]

Ultimately the union will have a hard time getting the backing of the public against things that work in other sports.

[HalfSmokes]

Ultimately the union will have a hard time getting the backing of the public against things that work in other sports.

Intimately, the public doesn’t have a seat at the table.

[IanRubbish]

Ultimately the union will have a hard time getting the backing of the public against things that work in other sports.

No one influences the union more than Boras.  This whole thing is a pathetic p*ssing match between him and the owners.  Owners will make more absurd gestures like this, union will continue to be unreasonable and put a high emphasis on the comp of the top players, not the average player, while under the Boras influence.

[varoadking]

No one influences the union more than Boras.  This whole thing is a pathetic p*ssing match between him and the owners.  Owners will make more absurd gestures like this, union will continue to be unreasonable and put a high emphasis on the comp of the top players, not the average player, while under the Boras influence.

Boras will tell you that a high tide raises all boats...but he ignores that a Tsunami will sink them...

[HalfSmokes]

Boras will tell you that a high tide raises all boats...but he ignores that a Tsunami will sink them...

Common sense tells you that when ownership is universally behind a labor proposal, it’s bad for labor

[varoadking]

Common sense tells you that when ownership is universally behind a labor proposal, it’s bad for labor

As long as it's good for his clients...

[Natsinpwc]

No one influences the union more than Boras.  This whole thing is a pathetic p*ssing match between him and the owners.  Owners will make more absurd gestures like this, union will continue to be unreasonable and put a high emphasis on the comp of the top players, not the average player, while under the Boras influence.

I don’t think these are absurd gestures.  They work in other sports leagues.

[Natsinpwc]

As long as it's good for his clients...

Good for his higher end clients.  Cause that’s what generates most of his income. And the lower end guys all think they will be higher end one day.

[HalfSmokes]

Good for his higher end clients.  Cause that’s what generates most of his income. And the lower end guys all think they will be higher end one day.

Unless the CBA has max salaries, it’s the non-elite free agents who will lose out.

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espn had a post up yesterday with soundbites from anonymous players about their views toward the next CBA. Almost universally they oppose the cap, but most say they expect some sort of deal before there's a work stoppage.  We'll see.....

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49786246/mlb-labor-2026-players-survey-salary-cap-cba-negotiations-lockout-mlbpa