Major League Baseball players, owner agree on five-year labor deal

So any kind of a work stoppage or lockout could have dampened the fervor this game has right now as for the first time in years the country cares more about baseball than the NFL. The 31-year-old provides depth with major league starts at every position except catcher.

In a concession to reach an agreement by the December 1, the league relinquished aspirations of an worldwide player draft, according to Stark. In that time, the NHL, NFL and National Basketball Association have seen a combined seven work stoppages.

It sure looks like the issues that were reported between the two sides weren’t as prevalent as many had first imagined. What the owners wanted was an end to the massive contracts for primarily Latin players – think Yoan Moncada’s $31.5 million deal with the Red Sox in 2015 – and with the new deal, they appear to have achieved that.

The sides have discussed numerous changes to the June amateur draft. You will hear about how great it is that they were able to avoid an worldwide draft – and that’s true – but they may have gotten something nearly as bad. Also, the player’s former team only gets a draft pick if he signs a contract worth more than $50M.

The union has always been fundamentally opposed to artificial restrictions on salaries and remained mindful of that in these negotiations.

Sure, negotiations went slower than anticipated.

Although owners pushed for months to include worldwide players in the amateur draft, they dropped that demand this week, sources said. This is all void, though, if the team in question pays luxury tax, in which case that team’s compensation will be after the fourth round.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the MLBPA and the owners have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement. In three seasons with Akron, Wallace has guided the RubberDucks to a 223-202 mark. So while the figure it high, it seems pretty reasonable that a team isn’t going to want to be over $210 million three straight seasons and, in turn, slapped with a $100 million tax.

The Tigers, now with a total payroll of $216 million, clearly have some work to do before the end of the 2017 season. If the luxury tax number is higher, teams should be willing to spend more money on players. That’s the thinking, at least.

The players were also in favor of drastically overhauling the qualifying offer system. First-round draft picks will no longer be compensation for players with qualifying offers attached. If a player turns down the offer and signs elsewhere, his new team forfeits an amateur draft pick, which usually had been in the first round under the old deal.

Roster sizes will neither expand to 26 nor be reduced in September, Stark reports. A few hours later they signed a memorandum of understanding, which must be ratified by both sides. Reports in recent weeks hinted at the possibility of a lockout if the two sides couldn’t reach a new deal.

With the agreement, the owners and players union will continue to experience labor peace in the immediate future. This could facilitate a change in ownership, or the team moving altogether.

The off-season can now begin in earnest, starting with next week’s winter meetings. At right, in a May 19, 2016, file photo, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to reporters during a news conference at Major League Baseball headquarters in NY. With that cleared, the fun can finally begin.