Latest news with #MLBPlayersAssociation
New York Times
04-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Manfred: MLB will propose automated ball-strike challenge system for 2026
NEW YORK — Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Wednesday he plans to introduce a proposal to Major League Baseball's competition committee that would bring the automated ball-strike system to MLB in 2026. Barring a change of heart inside Manfred's group, then, ABS appears likely to arrive in the big leagues next year. The league office has enough votes on the 11-person committee — which is also made up of player representatives and one umpire — to ultimately push through what it wants. Advertisement Human umpires would still make the vast majority of ball-strike calls themselves, but teams would start each game with two challenges to the umpire's opinion. Umpires would then rely on a technology system that the league has tested for years in the minor leagues and in major-league spring training this year. Teams retain the challenge if they get the call overturned. 'I do think that we're going to pursue the possibility of changing that process, and we'll see what comes out at the end of that,' Manfred said at MLB headquarters. 'I think that teams are really positive about ABS. You know, I do have that unscientific system that I use — my email traffic — and my distinct impression is that using ABS in spring training has made people more prone to complain about balls and strike calls via email, to me, referencing the need for ABS. That is undoubtedly true, undoubtedly true.' The Major League Baseball Players Association did not immediately have comment. The technology used in ABS doesn't exactly mimic a human strike zone, because umpires on average call balls and strikes differently depending on the count: a tighter zone on 0-2, for example, and a wider one on 3-0. Manfred, however, didn't indicate any outstanding concerns about the system's operation other than how players will react. 'My single biggest concern is working through the process and deploying it in a way that's acceptable to the players,' Manfred said. 'There's always going to be things around the edges that we need to work through and whatever, and I want them to feel like we respected the committee process and that there was a full airing of concerns about the system, and an attempt to address those concerns before we go forward.' Players on the competition committee have almost universally been opposed to Manfred's on-field rule changes over time. Owner-player relations are going to get progressively more sensitive next season, with the collective bargaining agreement's expiration after the 2026 season. But Manfred indicated that he wasn't going to move gingerly on rule changes because of the impending labor talks. Advertisement MLB has long held the power to implement on-field rule changes that it wants, but in the most current CBA, which went into effect in 2022, the league received the right to implement changes on shorter notice: 45 days after a proposal. 'We bargained for the right to make these kind of rule changes,' Manfred said. 'It was a really important part of the deal from our perspective. Everybody understood what the rules of the road are. … Unlike the prior provision, there's actually a process that is involved, that you go through, that you kind of have a chance to vet and talk about what should happen with the players. So I'm less reticent about that. 'In the past, I have been a little squeamish about the year before bargaining. I don't feel that way right now.' MLB is also testing a check-swing review system in the minors this season. It's unclear when that system will be tested by big leaguers, however. Manfred indicated that system was unlikely to be tested in major-league spring training next year because of the possibility everyone would still be adjusting to ABS. 'We haven't made a decision about the check-swing thing,' Manfred said. 'We do try to think sequentially about what's coming. I think we got to get over the hump in terms of either doing ABS or not doing it before you'd get into the complication of a separate kind of challenge involved in an at-bat, right? You think about them, they're two different systems operating at the same time. We really got to think that one through.' (Photo of Manfred: Patrick Breen / The Republic / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Boston Globe
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
MLB and MLBPA enjoying game's popularity surge. So what's next for baseball? Threatening to blow it up, naturally.
The percentage of younger (ages 18-35) ticket buyers and television viewers increased, and the Dodgers-Yankees World Series was the most-watched in six years thanks to the presence of star players like Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto. So what's next for baseball? Advertisement Threatening to blow it up, naturally. Related : The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the MLB Players Association runs through the 2026 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has already said the growing payroll disparity in the game is something he wants to address and suggested a lockout could spur constructive talks. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That made Sunday's meeting between Red Sox players and union officials somewhat of a war council. The union staffers on hand included former Red Sox pitchers Andrew Miller and Mike Myers. 'Year four of a five-year agreement is largely focused in on collective bargaining prep,' Clark said. 'So, yes, there's been conversations and dialog out there, none of which we started.' That the Dodgers and Mets are expected to have a payrolls well over $310 million while at least five teams will be below $80 million That's a line the union has sworn it will never cross. The question then becomes whether the owners are willing to shut down the sport to see if the union breaks. Related : Then only the fans lose. It's been the same old tug-of-war for decades. Clark said the players don't see a salary cap as something the game needs to prosper. Last season would seem to prove their point. Advertisement But that doesn't mean the owners will stop trying. 'It's been consistent across every generation I've ever been a part of and it's still the case,' said Clark, who played for 16 years including Baseball lost only some spring training games during Manfred and Clark are ultimately stewards of their respective constituencies, not the game. Related : Rob Refsnyder was one of the players who sat and listened to Clark on Sunday. Beyond what it might mean for him personally, he doesn't want to see baseball take a step back. 'My first year in the big leagues was 2015 and I honestly can't remember a time when it felt like the fans were this engaged,' Refsnyder said. 'I think the sport is doing really, really well and the quality of baseball is at just an incredible high.' Refsnyder pointed to the athleticism he now sees in the game from pitchers and hitters alike. 'If you had told me in '15 this many guys would be throwing 100 [miles per hour] or hitting the ball as hard as they are, I wouldn't have believed it. The sport is growing and kids are really interested. I hope we figure it out because it's a great time to be in the sport.' Advertisement Will that still be the case in 2027? On a sunny day in Florida, it felt like Peter Abraham can be reached at
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Union head Tony Clark: Angels won't spend beyond luxury tax, treat it like a cap
TEMPE, Ariz. — The talk of the offseason has been the Dodgers and the implications of their historically high payroll. It is, however, the other Los Angeles team that is currently causing concern within the players union. MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark told The Athletic in an interview this week that he believes the Angels, a team located in the nation's second-largest media market, are not willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold, unlike their big-city counterparts. Advertisement 'They have decided as an organization to treat it as a cap,' Clark said after meeting with Angels players this week. 'And are making decisions against that backdrop. It's unfortunate, particularly when they have an opportunity in the market that they are in. 'The way they've treated it and what it is are two different things.' The Angels, in Clark's view, should be one of the sport's biggest spenders, alongside the nine teams that exceeded the tax last season. And unlike much lower-spending franchises, the Angels' spending habits highlight how teams can use the CBT as a line they simply won't cross. Exceeding the penalty for a season requires a team to pay a 20 percent tax on every dollar above the threshold. Angels owner Arte Moreno declined to comment in response to Clark, though team spokesperson Marie Garvey pushed back against Clark's criticisms in a written statement. 'That's his opinion and we don't agree with it,' the statement said. The Angels have only finished the season over the luxury tax once in Moreno's 22-year tenure as owner, and that was in 2004. In 2023, the Angels appeared on track to exceed the tax, before feverishly making moves to get below the threshold. Doing so required placing six players on waivers, among other actions the team took. The club's estimated payroll for 2025 is $202 million, up about $25 million from last year, but still well below the $241 million threshold. During the collective bargaining negotiations in 2022, Moreno was one of just four owners who opposed any type of increase to the luxury tax, league sources said at the time. The league moved forward with proposing an increase regardless, and it eventually moved from $210 million to $230 million in the new CBA. Even if they have avoided the tax, the Angels have been in the top half of the game's payroll in every year that Moreno has owned the team, and have regularly been in the top 10 in on-field spending. Advertisement However, in recent years, those spending habits have dwindled and the losses have continued piling. The most expensive free-agent contract the team has added in the past five years came this offseason — a three-year, $63 million deal for Yusei Kikuchi. The team is no longer seriously in the mix for any top-flight free agents. And it balked on matching the Dodgers' offer to Shohei Ohtani, who had spent his first six years with the Angels. The Angels own the sport's longest playoff drought, dating to 2014, and haven't won a postseason game since 2009. 'They've treated it the way they have,' Clark said, 'and it's hard to believe it hasn't had some effect on the level of success that they've had.' The lack of spending has frustrated another superstar, Mike Trout, who openly called on the owner last spring to add more high-impact free agents. 'I'm doing everything I can possible,' Trout said. 'It's obviously Arte's decision. I'm going to put my two cents in there.' When asked if he felt Moreno would heed his suggestion, there was less confidence. 'Um, you know, it's uh, yeah, no. You know how Arte is.' All of this is a concern for the union as CBA contract negations are expected to become quite contentious after next season. In particular, it's expected that competitive balance in spending will be a major point of discussion. The heightened conversation comes against the backdrop of the Dodgers' breakneck spending this offseason: adding numerous high-profile free agents, while keeping payroll at a relatively manageable $389 million through deferred contracts. It's expected that owners will look to leverage the disparate payroll figures to argue for some sort of actual salary cap, and commissioner Rob Manfred didn't shy away from stating concerns on the topic. 'It's clear that we have fans in some markets that are concerned about the ability of the team in their market to compete with the financial resources of the Dodgers,' Manfred said at spring training media day earlier this month. Advertisement The Angels, however, are not in a different market. They are in the same market as the Dodgers, though operating on a completely different level. And for Clark, it's clear that the Angels' desire to remain below the luxury tax establishes a set strategy that goes against the union's stated purpose. 'In a world where teams are committed to putting the best teams on the field, using a part of the system as an excuse not to continue to push forward, yeah, we have those concerns,' Clark said. 'We're concerned about every team that isn't focused on (putting) the best team possible on the field. And using something as a cap that isn't a cap, that's not why that was designed.'
![[Graphic News] MLB player salaries reach all-time high](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F02%2F16%2Fnews-p.v1.20250216.b3bf73a7619b4150b9cf7d416f806e74_T1.gif&w=3840&q=100)
![[Graphic News] MLB player salaries reach all-time high](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
16-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Graphic News] MLB player salaries reach all-time high
The average salary for Major League Baseball players hit a record high of $4.66 million for the 2024 season. According to the MLB Players Association, the average player salary for 2024 was $4,655,366, marking a 2.9 percent increase from the average of $4,525,719 in 2023. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, MLB eventually shortened the 2020 season to 60 games, correspondingly prorating salaries at about 37 percent. In 2021, the average salary fell further on a full-year basis to $3,679,335. However, the figure rebounded in 2022, with the average rising to $4,222,193. It continued on an upward trajectory with a 7 percent increase in 2023. The league's minimum salary also saw significant growth during this period. It rose from $575,000 in 2021 to $700,000 in 2022, followed by increases to $720,000 in 2023 and $740,000 in 2024.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Even with all the Dodgers' spending, there will never be a salary cap in Major League Baseball
Before Congress, in a windowless, wood-paneled hearing room, the reigning American League Cy Young winner made an obvious yet enduring point. 'The number one thing I get from fans,' David Cone explained to senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming and other assembled elected officials, 'is they want their teams to win.' The date was Feb. 15, 1995, and MLB was in a dark place. Five months prior, players had gone on strike, initiating a work stoppage that impelled the dramatic cancellation of the 1994 World Series. Relations between the union and league had never been rosy since the union's formation in 1966, but a revenue-sharing proposal introduced by owners in January of 1994 — a proposal that, crucially, included a salary cap — became an incendiary rallying cry for players and their representatives. When the stalemate carried over into 1995, the U.S. government got involved. Congress introduced a handful of bills regarding the legality of MLB's antitrust exemption. President Clinton delivered a speech imploring the two sides to reopen negotiations. Then Cone and a number of notable baseball people, including future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, MLB Players Association executive director Donald Fehr and acting MLB commissioner Bud Selig, were called to speak at a Judiciary Committee hearing. 'The bottom line is [fans] want to win,' Cone repeated. 'And we think by protecting this free-market system, the fans will have a better chance to have a winning team.' In early April 1995, the two sides came to an official agreement, one that included a luxury tax but no hard cap. Both sides were frustrated yet reluctantly satisfied. The league had a tool to disincentivize spending, while the union maintained the essence of a free-market system. It is, functionally, the same economic system that governs baseball to this day. But now, 30 years later, the idea of a salary cap has stampeded back into public discourse. Its impetus: the free-wheeling, cash-flashing Los Angeles Dodgers and their seemingly bottomless pockets. The defending World Series champs have spent $384.5 million dollars in free agency this winter, a figure that doesn't include a $74 million extension for utilityman Tommy Edman or the signing of vaunted Japanese hurler and international amateur Roki Sasaki. In response, frustrated fans are clamoring for change. In an online poll conducted by MLB Trade Rumors on Jan. 19, more than two-thirds of voters — 24,409 people — were in favor of a salary cap being included in the next collective bargaining agreement. Shockingly, 50.18% of participants — that's 13,757 fans — said they would be willing to lose the entire 2027 season in exchange for a salary cap. Those numbers, while far from definitive, are representative of a growing dissatisfaction among fans, particularly those of small-market teams. The gap in payroll between the Dodgers ($379M) and the Miami Marlins ($67M), MLB's lowest spending club, is eye-popping. Only nine teams are projected to open the season with a payroll more than half the size of Los Angeles' ($189.5M). And while the Dodgers have been spending freely, four teams — the Cardinals, Brewers, Marlins and Twins — have yet to sign a single free agent this offseason. Ten clubs have committed fewer than $15 million on the open market. There is an indisputable chasm between the spends and the spend-nots. Understandably, fans are displeased. But their angst about how the Dodgers have conducted business is, in truth, much more related to the frugal inactivity of their preferred outfit. As Cone told Congress in 1994, what ball-watchers really want is an even playing field — or at least the illusion of one. Without the hope that thaws from the earth each spring, born anew, fans will lose interest. Why watch, the thinking goes, if it's clear the Dodgers are going to win it all? Legitimate as such frustrations might be, yearning for a salary cap is not a practical path forward. Far from it. That's because for the MLBPA, the idea of a salary cap is an immediate non-starter, a third rail, a line in the sand. The union's overarching goal, like that of any union, is to ensure a fair, safe and lucrative working environment for its members. The union wants to help players maximize their earning power; a salary cap would limit that. The group's aversion to the sheer concept is fundamental, sewn into the elemental threads of the organization. 'No legitimate union could ever agree to a salary cap,' Marvin Miller, the late trailblazing labor leader and first executive director of the MLBPA, told Sports Illustrated in 2011. 'In my mind, if a union did that, it would be grounds for decertification, for membership to go to court.' 'That line in the sand was a salary cap,' Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine recounted to The Athletic in a 2019 oral history of the strike. 'And we were fighting for a salary cap vs. no salary cap. That was an easy fight, so to speak.' Current MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has, during his 12-year tenure atop the union, remained fervently opposed to an artificial spending limit. "We're never going to agree to a cap," he told reporters in 2023. "Let me start there. We don't have a cap. We're not going to agree to a cap. A salary cap is the ultimate restriction on player value and player salary.' For Clark and his union, the solution to MLB's increasingly stratified financial playing field is, instead, to incentivize spending from the bottom up. The problem is not the teams that spend frivolously; the problem is the teams that don't spend at all. Closing that gap would come from pushing the floor higher, not pushing the ceiling lower. But while a hard salary floor has been discussed over the years, it is unlikely to come without a cap. What's more, a simple cap/floor system, the MLBPA has claimed, would not guarantee an even playing field. Both the NBA and the NFL — leagues that have struggled to ensure competitive parity in the 21st century — have caps. It is an enormous, immovable point of pride for the MLBPA that their league is the only one in major American professional sports without a cap. Whether or not the idea of a cap has merit is, to some degree, beside the point. The union will almost certainly never accept one, regardless of how hard MLB and its owners push. Proposing a cap is at best a negotiating tactic and at worst a monumental waste of time. It is increasingly likely, however, that resentment over the Dodgers grows enough over the next two years that owners are compelled to propose a cap when the next round of CBA negotiations begins after the 2026 season. A cap was proposed early in the last round of negotiations but tabled soon thereafter. The league, more emboldened by recent events, could cling more tightly to its decades-long goal of instituting a cap — theoretically to increase parity and more practically to limit spending. Such a strategy would no doubt increase the discord between the two sides, amplifying the likelihood of a work stoppage, something many industry insiders already see as inevitable. But the league — and the billionaires it represents — might see this moment as a rare opportunity to push a cap, an opening worth the risk. During the most recent CBA negotiations in 2022, public opinion in the union's favor was at an all-time high, particularly compared to the acrimonious battles of 1994 and 1995. But the Dodgers might have changed things with their spending, convincing scores of fans that a salary cap would be beneficial to small-market teams. How much of an impact that shifting sentiment has remains to be seen, but in the minds of ownership, this could be their best chance in a generation to institute a hard spending limit. Still, it's difficult to imagine the union entertaining any proposal that involves a hard cap. 'The salary cap ruins free agency,' former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser said in December 1994. 'And there's no price on freedom."
