2026 Collective Bargaining Negotiations

[allentown]

Dumb and dumber?

Why are they trying to win this? Seems like a pretty no lose situation for the owners.

I don't like professionals playing in the Olympics. It should be amateurs only, as it had been for many decades. I realize the changes came because everyone in the Soviet Union and China was a government-paid amateur and that became a mess. I'd permit minor league players to play in all sports. From the standpoint of competitive baseball teams, I think exposing players to possible injury in internation competition is deservedly unpopular. I know -- the All-Star game. I'm not a fan of that, either. I know, I'm Scrooge and some see all of this as great, cheap PR for baseball. To me, interleague play and national TV games greatly reduced the interest in All-Star game. The baseball season has become too long.

[Lucky_Beagle]

Define the term amateurs as it applies to athletes today. I would guess almost all Olympic level athletes and basically professionals at least in the terms that they are making a living off their performances and not working a side job to make a living. The difference is there isn't a "professional level" for those athletes to advance to and make big bucks at it.

I am fine with these athletes making a living with their sports skills, and I agree I also don't really care to watch "Professional" athletes in the Olympics.

[andyb]

We have not had amateurs in the Olympics since like the 1970s. Anyone heard of Nike?

[Philsmania]

Dumb and dumber?

Why are they trying to win this? Seems like a pretty no lose situation for the owners.

I don't like professionals playing in the Olympics. It should be amateurs only, as it had been for many decades. I realize the changes came because everyone in the Soviet Union and China was a government-paid amateur and that became a mess. I'd permit minor league players to play in all sports. From the standpoint of competitive baseball teams, I think exposing players to possible injury in internation competition is deservedly unpopular. I know -- the All-Star game. I'm not a fan of that, either. I know, I'm Scrooge and some see all of this as great, cheap PR for baseball. To me, interleague play and national TV games greatly reduced the interest in All-Star game. The baseball season has become too long.

Not Scrooge but Dana Carvey's grumpy old man on SNL back in the late-'80's/early-'90's. Seriously, those horses all got out of the barn and are never going back in.

[andyb]

I do get that there is a legitimate interest in getting players to play so teams do not game the system by trying to get their stars extra rest. I just assume that there are other ways to do that. Most players will want to play anyway. Fine both the team and the players if they do not have a legit injury. Limit pitchers to 3 innings and make the rosters large enough to do tandem starters in all games.

[zambonir]

At this point it's not the Olympics that defines what is a "pro" athlete, it's the pro sports. Skiers and skaters and runners have been paid/sponsored forever, they just have no other way to make money. And now that college athletes are all paid in the big sports, what's it matter if the baseball player in the Olympics is from Oklahoma or the Yankees?

There's no question it's pretty disruptive to the pro leagues but also, IMO, pretty consistently worth it. Having hockey back was great. And the WBC was pretty great.

[andyb]

Interesting article about lack of Latino players on the MLBPA negotiation committee (1 out of 38). No wonder their needs often get minimal attention.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49358586/mlb-2026-latin-american-players-mlbpa-rep-union-labor-cba-pablo-lopez

[andyb]

More MLB proposals, some good and some bad. They want to clean up transactions and that seems fine (1 or 2 weeks vs 10 or 15 days, timing on Monday with injury and other exceptions). They want to take one more year off rule 5 eligibility though but then also take away the MLB roster requirement. There still would be a 40-man requirement. This really seems another veiled attempt to get players through the minors more quickly.

They also want to allow 14 pitchers again out of the 26-man roster. I see the need (and the non-use of bench players), but I also kind of like forcing pitching development away from 1-inning max effort relievers.

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

[bkox]

this one a big thing from the article Andy linked. Doesnt this actually hurt MLB? Right now the FA stuff keeps MLB in the news cycle pretty much year round. Almost 2 months of nothingness seems to just give up any space MLB keeps in the winter, Although having a repreive from a 24/7/365 news cycle might actually be welcome

[andyb]

They seem to be imagining that creating a dead period where you can't sign free agents would enhance media coverage of the free agent period.

I am not completely opposed to this. But basically I would have a dead period for a few weeks after the World Series and then ideally channel all free agent signings into the period from 11/15 through Christmas. I am fine with a dead period then from Christmas through Janualry.

MLB is being too cute here. Let's channel most signings into a 2-3 week period around the winter meetings. That would get coverage,, though really if they allow negotiations we will see leaks for a month until signings are suupposedly allowed.

MLB needs a simple calendar.

Dead period right after the world seies.
Then 4-6 weeks of signings until Christmas.
Then wait till February 1 for anything else..

[BaseballCat]

I thought this article explained the various CBA issues well

I was an MLB GM. This is what is fair and unfair in the labor proposals

[zambonir]

I gotta admit I didn't rush to click on it because it's Bowden but he probably knows more about this than the trade deadline!

[andyb]

I thought this article explained the various CBA issues well

If you are on management's side.

[BaseballCat]

True, but I have not really been paying attention to the proposals being offered. I did not say I agreed with his take. That is to the reader. I hope other articles are posted from the other side

[zambonir]

What you don't believe him?

Because of my background, most people think I lean toward the owners’ side in negotiations like this, but that’s not the case, in actuality I’m not biased.