With spring training underway, baseball fans are excitedly preparing for the start of a new regular season in March – which will begin with the potential of a work stoppage on the not-too-distant horizon.
Players across the league are unhappy for a variety of reasons – from the tepid free agent market, to declining salaries, to the rise of analytics rendering many veteran players undesirable. The average MLB salary dropped in 2018 for only the fourth time since 1967, while the league saw record revenues exceeding $10 billion, according to Forbes.
Star players like Manny Machado, who finally signed with the Padres, and Bryce Harper, who remained unsigned, have found it difficult to get the money they feel they deserve, and free agents are signing shorter deals on average.
USA TODAY Sports spoke with various players from around the league about the potential of a work stoppage, something Phillies pitcher Pat Neshek says has a “100 percent” probability of happening in 2021. According to players, there are three potential solutions.
Via USA TODAY Sports:
“The overwhelming responses, all of which ownership could vigorously resist:
Grant players free agency after five years.
Grant them arbitration after two years.
Raise the minimum salary.”
The league minimum salary in 2019 is set at $555,000, an increase of $10,000 from last year. By increasing the minimum, players hope to force clubs to consider offering deals to older players instead of gambling on a unproven player just to save money.
You can read Gabe Lacques’ full breakdown on the players’ stance here.
