Major League Baseball executives reacted angrily to the players’ latest offer when negotiations resumed on Sunday, accusing the Players’ Association of backing down and showing no signs of a move that could lead to an end to the dispute .
The two sides discussed for 95 minutes during the 95and day of this lockout, and they essentially stuck to their guns.
“We were hoping to see some movement in our direction to give us more flexibility and come to an agreement quickly,” said Major League Baseball spokesman Glen Caplin.
“The Players Association chose to come back to us with a proposal that was worse than Monday night’s and was not intended to move the process forward. In some aspects, they have even backtracked. In other words, we are at an impasse. We will try to figure out how [les joueurs] will answer, but nothing in this proposal makes things simple. As the two sides attempt to resolve the second-longest work stoppage in Major League Baseball history, they have remained far apart on the key issues of luxury tax, minimum wage and the size of the league. new bonus reserve for players eligible for pre-arbitration.
The Players’ Association reduced its request for the size of the new bonus pool by five million dollars, bringing the requested amount to $80 million. The players, however, did not change their demand regarding the luxury tax and the minimum wage.
Following the main session, Assistant Commissioner Dan Halem and Chief Union Negotiator Bruce Meyer met privately. The players have suggested the two sides meet again on Monday, a request Major League Baseball has yet to respond to.
Commissioner Rob Manfred called off each team’s first two series on Tuesday, for a total of 91 games. This was the first meeting between the two parties since the commissioner’s decision. Manfred was at Major League Baseball’s offices on Sunday but did not attend bargaining meetings.
Players have been locked out since December 2. This is Major League Baseball’s first dispute since covering parts of each of the 1994 and 1995 seasons.