But the big issues, the potential sticking points, were worked out over a marathon bargaining session that spanned almost 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday.
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– Worldwide players: While management failed to obtain an global draft of amateurs residing outside the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, it did get a hard cap on each team’s annual bonus pool for those players starting at $4.75 million for the signing period that begins next July 2. Pick it gets will depend upon that team’s market size.
Should a team lose a qualifying free agent, reports say that the team losing the player will only receive draft pick compensation if the player’s new contract is for more than $50 million. Teams that sign a qualified free agent who also exceeded the luxury tax threshold will surrender a second-rounder, a fifth-rounder and $1 million in worldwide bonus money, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. If the signing team is under that cap, they will forfeit a third-round pick. The current qualifying offer rules will still apply to this year’s group of free agents. Players who declined qualifying offers expecting a robust market have been reduced to taking one-year, show-me type deals in order to rebuild their value the following season.
The current luxury tax threshold is $189 million, and sources said that it wouldn’t be lower than that figure going into 2017.
Ryan, who was was sacked in the middle of his 19th season as GM of the Twins, spent 31 years with the team. Teams can spend up to those thresholds without penalties.
The most pressing question at the end of the talks was how to penalize teams that exceed the limit, without creating a de facto salary cap or creating too much of a spread between the high- and low-payroll teams.
With more money coming to the sport, which means more money to go around for the players and owners, it didn’t make sense for the two sides to throw away the goodwill they have built up over the past two decades with each other and the fans.
Some additional details on new CBA coming, starting with this: A player no longer can receive a qualifying offer a few times.
Major League Baseball talked long about getting an worldwide draft. Instead, there will be a hard bonus cap on worldwide signings, in the area of $5 million. The sides also have discussed scheduling more day games when teams face long flights following those games.
What tweaks and changes that came out of the process helps the Nationals in the long run. The season will start in the middle of a week, allowing for more off days during the season. The sides agreed to lengthen the season from 183 days to 187 beginning in 2018.
Miscellany: Starting in 2018, the season will begin midweek to accommodate more off-days during the summer [Rosenthal] …
The new deal, which has no major changes from the previous agreement, still will not have an global draft, but instead a $6 million cap on teams’ annual worldwide spending.
Venditte became the first full-time ambidextrous pitcher in the majors when he made his debut for the Oakland Athletics on June 5, 2015. With the players seeking a larger share of revenues, this may be one way to get some.
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Major League Baseball revenues are at a record level, and team values are soaring. This could facilitate a change in ownership, or the team moving altogether.
