MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement Must Get Done
By Jason Burke
We are on the eve of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring, and while the two sides are making loads of progress according to reports, time is a ticking.
With just days until the Winter Meetings are schedule to commence, this is typically the time of year that we as fans start to truly begin getting excited for the upcoming (still four months away) season. With the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement still in flux, that could cause some damage to MLB and their fan base if something isn’t figure out by Monday.
While football is going to dominate the headlines at this time of year, their television ratings have been down in 2016 and we are coming off of one of the more entertaining postseasons, and most-watched World Series in recent memory. Major League Baseball needs to capitalize on that with a strong winter while they still have the attention of the casual fan.
Here is the typical offseason schedule of a baseball fan: World Series ends. Some rumors begin to circulate, minor deals are done, every fan base wonders why their team isn’t doing anything to improve and claims the sky is falling, then the Winter Meetings occur in early December and the rumors are real, bigger moves happen, and the groundwork is laid for some trades.
That’s just how life is. That takes us through the holidays, and before you know it it’s almost time for spring training to begin.
Now take out the groundwork phase and some big names potentially staying put because of that, and we could be setting up for a lackluster offseason, which could lead to another terrible season for your favorite team. If we had to read all of those Chris Sale/Chris Archer/Other Tampa starters rumors for the past month and a half for none of them to be traded, I feel like we’ll all be furious. Those should all be leading up to next week, but next week may include, as Jonah Keri tweeted out: “Basically, several hundred baseball writers would be stuck in a hotel w/ unlimited booze & nothing to do. Got it.” Think about the baseball writers!
Not only will free agents have to wait a bit longer, as some are awaiting news on the new CBA’s regulations of draft pick compensation for players who have rejected a qualifying offer, but the Rule 5 Draft, which is honestly quite exciting to listen to, will have to be moved as well.
Everything is at a standstill (even though Yoenis Cespedes signed with the Mets, but really, was he going to leave Queens?) and we’re just waiting for this new deal to be struck. Once it is we can resume our offseason schedules and start looking forward to the 2017 season. But for baseball itself, this offseason is a time to strike while the iron is hot and make some of those casual fans lifelong ones.