MLB has given the MLBPA a February 28th deadline to ensure the 2022 MLB season starts on time. Perhaps spurred by this deadline and the fact that pitchers and catchers are already delayed from starting their spring training, the MLBPA and the team's owners will meet on Monday, February 21st. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, that could be the beginning of daily meetings between the two sides.
While exact plans are not finalized, MLB and the MLB Players Association intend to hold multiple bargaining sessions — perhaps every day — as early as Monday, sources told ESPN. Multiple owners and players expect to fly in for sessions leading up to MLB’s stated Feb. 28 deadline.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 18, 2022
Now that a date has been set, the posturing has hopefully come to an end and the real negotiations can begin. When the two sides met for just fifteen minutes on Wednesday, things seemed bleak. But after Thursday's news, we can perhaps view the short session as the final “non-negotiation negotiations” aka demands. The two sides likely came to the table and discussed what would be the “non-budging” issues and judging on the information coming out of today, they might have agreed on what each side would be considered “important.”
Or, maybe it's just all one big show and they truly aren't going to be negotiating in good faith on Monday. We will know soon enough, as the length of Monday's meetings and the prospects of more on the horizon are the keys to this whole operation getting started. If the meeting lasts a while and we immediately hear talks of having a second day of negotiations, then baseball fans should view that as a success. If they have a short meeting, though, and do not immediately detail any plans to talk again the following day, then baseball fans could be looking at a delay to the season.
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