MLB and MLBPA Failed to Reach Agreement After Thursday Meeting

The MLB and MLBPA failed to reach an agreement Thursday to bring the lockout to an end.

Kade Kistner | Feb 17, 2022

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB and owners imposed lockout continues after an agreement with the MLBPA failed to materialize during their Thursday meeting. While many had hoped that the two sides would find common ground, the self-imposed timeline to reach an agreement is now just 11 days away.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the MLBPA backed off from their proposal granting 100% of players arbitration after two-plus years of service time. The current is amount of players allowed arbitration after two-plus years service time is 22%. However, the MLBPA did request the arbitration pool increase to $115 million, $15 million more than their initial request of $100 million.

The MLBPA backed off it’s request for arbitration for all players with 2+ years of service today, requesting instead 80% of players go into the system. Additionally, the union requested an increase in its pre-arb bonus pool ask from $100 million to $115 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 17, 2022

The MLB and MLBPA are far apart in their arbitration pool requests as MLB is currently at $15 million. It does not seem as if the two sides made any substantial ground in coming to a future agreement.

The hardest part of these negotiations are the finances, which is why concessions like the universal DH were easy to settle upon. However, these short meetings are rarely when items are addressed and agreed to. Rather, they are used as a temperature gauge to see where each side stands.

A timeline for the next meeting is currently unknown, but Inside the Phillies will keep you up to date on all things related to the MLB lockout as more information becomes available.

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Published Feb 17, 2022

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.