Agreement reached!

Today the owners voted 30 – 0 to approve the deal the players’ union agreed to earlier in the day. The players’ representatives weren’t unanimous; their vote was 26 – 12. According to CBS Sports, “The union voted to approve a new proposal by a 26-12 margin (a simple majority, or 20 votes, was all that was required for the new agreement to pass, but it’s notable that the eight members of the executive subcommittee all voted no).”

From MLB.com:

The deal came to fruition a day after MLB postponed Opening Day until April 14 in the absence of a new agreement and announced that each team’s first four series were removed from the schedule. However, as part of this agreement, a full 162-game schedule will be played, and the four series that were previously removed from the calendar will be rescheduled. The new five-year CBA includes increased minimum salaries, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool to reward the top young players in the game, a raise in competitive balance tax thresholds, the introduction of a universal designated hitter, the widest-ranging Draft lottery in pro sports, a system to prevent alleged service-time manipulation and limits on the number of times a player can be optioned in a season to address concerns regarding “roster churn.”

The deal also includes an expanded 12-team postseason format, bringing playoff baseball to two additional markets each year.

As part of the agreement, a Joint Competition Committee will be formed comprised of four active players, six members appointed by MLB and one umpire. Beginning in 2023, the committee will be tasked with adopting changes to playing rules such as a pitch clock, base size, defensive positioning and automatic ball/strike zone.

Notable:
The minimum salary jumps from $570,500 to $700,000, the largest single-year increase in history.

The Competitive Balance Tax jumps to $230M from $210M

A new Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool of $50M will be created from revenue earned from sources like national television rights sales. It will be distributed to the top 100 players based on awards and statistical performance). Examples: “Under this system, NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes would have seen his salary jump from $608,000 to $4.2 million last season, while Rookie of the Year winners Randy Arozarena and Jonathan India would have seen their respective salaries more than triple in 2021.

An International Draft will be instituted. “International Draft would be 20 rounds (600-plus selections), increasing the total compensation earned by amateurs by more than $20 million annually.”

Other rules changes:
Contracts for arbitration-eligible players will be guaranteed.

Top prospects who finish 1st or 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting will receive a full year of service.

Clubs promoting top prospects to Opening Day rosters will be eligible to receive Draft picks if the player finishes in the Top 3 in the Rookie of the Year voting or Top 5 in MVP/Cy Young voting.

Expanded postseason: 12 teams, with the top two division winners receiving a bye.

Universal designated hitter.

Players may only be optioned five times per season.

91 thoughts on “Agreement reached!

      • From what I read, his pitching coaches and scouts thought they could tweak his windup and get better results.

  1. Haven’t been able to catch any of the games. For those that have, how is Rios doing?

  2. This Bauer situation needs to be resolved soon. Admin leave extended again. Manfred and MLB need to poop or get off the pot. It is cramping the Dodgers having him in limbo. They have had plenty of time to do their investigation. I don’t care if he pitches for us again or not. I will be OK either way. I just want them to make a decision so the whole thing can go away and the Dodgers can get on with business..

    • Long legal process with the Bauer now taking the offense. Guessing that MLB fears getting sued, so kicking it down the road as much as they can.

  3. Here in Argieland, I’m watching the Twinkies and the Sawx. It’s not even 5 p.m., so dinner is at least four hours away.

  4. Side benefit of the Freeman signing:

    The Dodgers no longer will have to face Freeman in the playoffs. Freeman crushed L.A. pitching over his postseason career, batting .286 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over their four playoff meetings since 2013.

    That’s from one of four articles about the Freeman signing in the LA Times today.

  5. MLB lost an employment case in court yesterday. A Federal judge ruled that minor leaguers are year-round employees, not “creative professionals” during those parts of the year they’re not playing organized ball.

    Good. MLB has never treated minor leaguers very well; if this improves that treatment, good, particularly since MLB just severely downsized MiLB a year or two ago.

  6. Today, on the bus ride from Buenos Aires to my wife’s hometown, there was a young Argentine wearing a LA cap. I greeted him with “Vamos, ¡Dodgers!”

    • Have been seeing lot more LA caps here in Mexico in recent years (Yanks caps more abundant). Argentina sighting must be rare I imagine

  7. Trea Turner, in The Athletic:

    Turner said Monday that the Dodgers reached out briefly to his representation before the lockout in December, but discussions about an extension weren’t substantive and no figures were exchanged.

    It’s a conversation that Turner is willing to have this spring, if the Dodgers are interested.

    “I can have a talk if somebody wants to have a talk,” Turner said. “Like I said from Day 1, this (organization) is unbelievable. The time I’ve spent here has been a lot of fun. And I think it’s definitely a place that I can be long-term. If not, I’m ready to play and ready to go out there and do what I’ve done for the last however many years. Like I said in the past, I’ll have talks.

    “If they’re not going to happen — or if they don’t or they do — I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about not stinking today. It’s kind of my motto, don’t suck today.”

    A little more:

    For now, there are no obvious public hang-ups from Turner’s end in terms of a desire to remain a Dodger.

    “I ask myself that all the time (what will guide my decision),” Turner said. “I was thinking about this, I don’t think anybody knows. I don’t know if you really know anything until you make the decision and you go through it. But that’s why I always try to gather as much information as possible, let things play out and don’t guess. … You talk to your family and talk to your wife and what’s best for you, your wife, your kids and your situation and you make the best decision you can. I’ll gather information, see what happens.”

  8. So long Joe Kelly. Signed a 2 year deal with the White Sox. No info on dollar amount yet.

  9. Not nearly as big as impact as say San Fran signing Rodón, but I kinda wonder about Dodgers doing a deal with Danny Duffy. I was wanting to see him pitch last year.

  10. Kershaw and Dodgers agree on a one year deal. $17M plus incentives from what I’ve read.

  11. Maybe Freddie tomorrow? He would be a welcome addition.
    And then time to add a few more arms – one starting and one relieving please.

  12. Bauer on leave for another week. MLB needs to make a decision soon about suspending him. Not fair to the Dodgers to keep the issue hanging.