The long-chronicled frustrations and blatant false narratives stemmed from MLB's labor negotiations have finally reached a conclusion. Nearly 100 days after the league imposed a lockout, bringing the offseason to a contentious halt, the owners and players' union agreed to a new CBA on Thursday, which means the game's second-longest work stoppage is now over. There'll be a full 162-game regular season in 2022.
According to multiple reports, the new CBA will be in effect for five years, and the proposal was approved with a vote of 26 to 12 among the union's 30 team reps and eight subcommittee members. The union made significant strides in regard to critical economic matters, and the league will now feature a 12-team playoff format, a universal designated hitter, traditional extra innings rules, and traditional nine-inning doubleheaders. Opening Day is scheduled for April 7.
"[The players] dug their heels in, and I'll give them a lot of credit. Because I'd say, probably two or three offers ago, I thought the players should've jumped on what was out there," former big leaguer pitcher and current MLB Network Radio host C.J. Nitkowski told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Friday. "And they kept pushing and pushing. And at the end of the day, I thought they did really well...
"Everybody wants labor peace, but there's a long history there. And you learn about it as a player, if you listen when the players' union comes around to talk. Or if there's things you have to experience -- like arbitration or free agency, or times maybe you felt you got the raw end of a deal. It gets ingrained in you, a little bit... These younger players saw this deal and how good it was for them, and they jumped all over it."
In a press conference, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that he "couldn't be more excited" about the league's future, and issued an apology to the fans for the "difficult" labor negotiation process. Manfred also mentioned that he's looking forward to working with union chief Tony Clark, and hopes the players "see this as an olive branch." The players have legitimate gripes with Manfred, and the commissioner admitted that he hasn't been successful in promoting "good relationships" with them.
Clark released a statement after the CBA, saying that the players "endured the second-longest work stoppage in its history to achieve significant progress in key areas that'll improve not just current players' rights and benefits but those of generations to come." For context on the key economic issues, MLB's new minimum salary will jump from $570,500 to $700,000, and the widely known luxury-tax threshold will jump from last season's $210 million to $230 million in 2022. Before this CBA expires, it'll rise to $244 million.
The entire baseball conversation between Nitkowski and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.