The MLB labor stoppage is heading into its second month. The signing frenzy and excitement that came with free agency in November is quickly fading into the past, being replaced by absolutely nothing. Sure, some minor league signings are happening, but there is far more news about players leaving to play overseas than there is about anything happening stateside.
That may be the case going forward. According to Bob Nightengale, there are yet to be any negotiating sessions scheduled between the league and the Player’s Union.
The first week of 2022 is resembling the last month of 2021: There are no negotiating sessions currently scheduled between MLB and the players association. They have met twice in the last month since the lockout, but strictly on non-core economic issues.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 3, 2022
MLB, MLBPA continue utterly ridiculous game of chicken
It is not a surprise that nothing is scheduled. Neither side wants to blink first, Carving their lines in stone and refusing to budge. But this is to be expected since the owners are not losing gate revenue at this juncture, and the players are not missing out on game checks.
Yes, there is a great deal that needs to be addressed. Teams need to be given an incentive to contend. Free agency is not working as it is supposed to. Players are seeing their service time being manipulated to keep them under team control for another year. The owners, meanwhile, are getting frustrated with increasing salaries that are cutting into their profit margins.
This does not change public perception. The pandemic is still ongoing, inflation is rampant, and people are struggling to put food on the table. Watching millionaires and billionaires bicker over money at this moment in time is a great way to destroy the positive momentum that had been in place before.
And neither side cares. Instead, they will trade barbs and refuse to meet until their dollars are threatened. Those “core economic issues” that are such a sticking point will be hammered out quickly because keeping the money train going is all that matters. The loss of goodwill and the anger of the fans is irrelevant as long as both sides get paid.
Discussions have yet to be scheduled between MLB and the MLBPA. Nothing will happen until their money train is threatened.