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MLB Lock-Out is Finally Freakin’ Over

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daddywags said:
I would think there are low key discussions going on all the time (as Bimbo confirmed), they just won't have "official" negotiations until closer to spring training. My guess is that this thing won't get really serious until the sides are up against deadlines that affect in season games. And, even then, it won't surprise me if the season is shortened a bit. There are three competing goals at play - players want what they want, owners want what they want, and fans just want it to end. We aren't close enough to ruining any of those goals yet for it to be really serious.
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Both sides are literally talking right now as I am typing this.

Reps have talked every day with the other sides reps since the lockout started, save for Christmas Eve/Day and New Years Eve/Day.

Wake me up when it's Valentine's Day and nothing has happened in an "official" capacity. Until then, this is just grandstanding by sides through the media.
 
BimboColesHair said:
Both sides are literally talking right now as I am typing this.

Reps have talked every day with the other sides reps since the lockout started, save for Christmas Eve/Day and New Years Eve/Day.

Wake me up when it's Valentine's Day and nothing has happened in an "official" capacity. Until then, this is just grandstanding by sides through the media.
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Do you think they will get stuff worked out by spring training?
 
sportscoach said:
Do you think they will get stuff worked out by spring training?
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70/30 on MLB ST being delayed.

Both sides feel no heat right now because we are still a ways away from effecting a season. They're slow walking each other their wants and laying out the structure of their formal offers and in the meantime asking media members to push certain things (Passan gets most of his insider info from players/agents).

His article today is grandstanding for one side. We are in the Sitzkrieg stage of the lockout right now (you should appreciate this reference @Sebastian) due to the holidays. Nothing is happening, but what is happening is agents, players, owners, GMs, etc. are pushing info to media members who in turn post stories trying to get the other side to blink first.
 
If Bimbo isn't awakened by news of an agreement on Valentines Day, there is a major problem that a lot of fifth string negotiators didn't come close to solving.

If the big boys on both sides, the only people with the ability to make final decisions, are refusing to talk until the end of the month, no amount of posturing by either or both sides means squat.

Its not unusual for negotiators to wait until the very date of major disaster to get serious. In fact, its standard operating procedure in many cases. Its a strategy to inflict as much pressure on the opposing side as possible.

But it also shows an outright contempt for the well being of any industry involved...automobile, steel, airlines, or baseball.

Believe me, if either side was truly interested in the well being of baseball, instead of merely giving it lip service, they would have been having substantive upper level talks months ago. Anything agreed to in March-April-May could have been agreed to in November....but its more important to both sides to win than to better the future of the game.
 
Spring training is and has always been guaranteed to be delayed. Because that is the point when a sense of urgency will finally start to set in. But that really isn't a deadline, because they already know they can shorten spring training by about 2 weeks, and if the first week or so of the season is delayed - not to much of a big deal. So don't expect the real urgency to get a deal done before the 1st week of March.

Right now it is posture and leak, then posture and leak some more, and then really put the finishing touches on your posture and leak game before getting serious about getting a deal done. And we have at least another month if not six weeks of that.
 
You would think that the attrition rate for pitching over the last two seasons due to irregularities of routines and workloads would lead both sides to want a normal spring training for pitchers, not a two week shorter ramp up....IF they were interested in the well being of the game.

You would also think that neither side would truly want a truncated amount of time to fit a 162 game season into....or a shortened regular season, which would mean less revenue for owners and less pay for players.

But a willingness to shorten spring training for pitchers and/or shorten the season, and/or push the WS into mid November just makes the point that...in spite of assurances that neither side wants to further hurt the state of the game...both sides don't give a royal rats *ss about the well being of baseball.

I dont disagree with either side's tactics, because I've been involved in such kind of things, and they make perfect sense in terms of wringing the best deal for who you represent. But don't give me that both sides care about the future of the game. If that was so, a new CBA would have been in place over a month ago.

When I go out and buy a new car, I dont care if the dealer makes a dollar on the deal. I dont care if he loses a dollar on the deal. I dont even care if he goes broke on the deal. He doesn't care if I can easily afford the car. He doesn't care if I can't make the payments. He doesn't care if the car gets repo'd in six months. He doesn't care if I go bankrupt and lose my family's house.

All either of us care about is that we get the best damned deal for ourselves.

And thats where these negotiations stand.
 
FWIW, I listened to the newest podcast episode of Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney and he indicated he'd be shocked if this was resolved by mid-to-late February. He seems to think this could drag on into the start of ST.
 
2/14 - season start is in jeopardy
3/12 - My prediction for an agreement. Season starts 2.5 weeks late.
 
BimboColesHair said:
Some of these rep talks this past week have gone a long way hammering out each sides wanted parameters and are being treated as a blueprint for each side to go over during the holiday's.

Sounds like they are going to separate this week or early next week, take that info back to the leadership groups, go over it, take a break for Christmas and New Years and then we should see our first "official" meeting of the 2 groups 1st or 2nd week of January where I am sure there will be some proposals.
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But they haven't been talking, they don't care, blah, blah, blah!
 
jup said:
Spring training is and has always been guaranteed to be delayed. Because that is the point when a sense of urgency will finally start to set in. But that really isn't a deadline, because they already know they can shorten spring training by about 2 weeks, and if the first week or so of the season is delayed - not to much of a big deal. So don't expect the real urgency to get a deal done before the 1st week of March.

Right now it is posture and leak, then posture and leak some more, and then really put the finishing touches on your posture and leak game before getting serious about getting a deal done. And we have at least another month if not six weeks of that.
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A new posture: Apple+TV broadcasting/streaming.. raises an otherwise slow trajectory of rising revenues to one with a trajectory rivaling SpaceX and Blue Origin.. portending hundreds of millions in new revenues for the league.. something the players would be more than a little interested in getting a piece of.. This new posture.. presented just days ago.. says.. "...it's time to quick fucking around with the pee pee shit...." It is only the promise of soooo much more that will allow either/both parties to set aside the pettiness of "posturing".. and now news of scheduling substantiative meetings...

At the end of the day.. follow the money..

At least.. that's how I see it..
 
Call me optimistic.
The world, which includes MLB, have been through a rough couple of years.
Both sides win by reaching a settlement.
Owners would like to have 81 home dates.
Players don't want pro-rated salaries anymore.
I don't see spring training delayed by more than a week.
 
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