The Major League Baseball Players’ Association lowered some of its demands on Monday, so negotiations to establish a new collective agreement have been given a new lease of life.
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At least that’s what the ESPN network has advanced. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday after a successful two-hour meeting on Monday. Remember that commissioner Rob Manfred and the teams on his circuit had decreed a lockout on December 2. Monday’s meeting was also the first held in person since the start of the labor dispute.
Among the points that stumped the discussions on which players are ready to back down, there are the years of experience before enjoying full autonomy. Right now, athletes have to play six seasons before entering the free agent market and they wanted to see that number go down. They abandoned this request.
The union also wanted a decrease in revenue sharing, but the circuit isn’t ready to back down on that either. Players seem to have lowered their expectations significantly on this as well.
Another point, however, remains on the agenda for the players and it is a reduction in the criteria for having the right to arbitration. The circuit would not intend to move on this point.
The recent advances remain good news, however, since the spring camps are scheduled to begin on February 16 for the next season.
Major League Baseball is experiencing the ninth work stoppage in its history. It is, however, the first since the seven-and-a-half-month strike that affected the 1994 and 1995 campaigns.