Sources: MLB, players' union hold first CBA talks
Key takeaways
- In a face-to-face meeting in New York, each side offered opening presentations, sources said, though no proposals were made.
- During the opening presentations, sources said, the sides outlined their views on the game, noting challenges they see and opportunities to use labor negotiations as a tool to move it forward.
- The expected lockout has drawn the attention of Congress, according to multiple sources familiar with discussions on Capitol Hill.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Top officials from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met Tuesday to officially open up collective-bargaining talks a little more than six months before the expiration of the game's labor deal, sources told ESPN.
In a face-to-face meeting in New York, each side offered opening presentations, sources said, though no proposals were made. MLB intends to pursue a salary-cap system, a financial structure that players staunchly oppose. The current deal, which came after a 99-day lockout by the league that threatened the beginning of the 2022 season, expires Dec. 1. If there is no agreement by the time the deal lapses, MLB is expected to again lock out the players, causing a work stoppage that could jeopardize games in the 2027 season.
During the opening presentations, sources said, the sides outlined their views on the game, noting challenges they see and opportunities to use labor negotiations as a tool to move it forward. While MLB is on pace to generate record revenues and has seen national television ratings soar this year, owners continue to sing the virtues of a salary cap, a mechanism the MLBPA has resisted for decades.