Morning Mound Visit: MLB cancels another week of games

MLB canceled another week of games after the union rejected three options for a deal presented by the league. These three options were to:

• Institute an international draft in exchange for the elimination of the qualifying offer
• Keep the qualifying offer and have no international draft
• Eliminate the qualifying offer and agree to an international draft by November 15 or the CBA would expire after the 2024 season

The union countered with an option that would eliminate the qualifying offer and give the union until November 15 to agree to an international draft or else the qualifying offer would be reinstated. MLB responded by canceling games.

Now, Opening Day can be no earlier than April 14, and there’s no one to blame but the owners. According to Max Scherzer, the international draft was never offered while the two sides negotiated in Jupiter, FL. Suddenly, it’s become an essential component for a deal to get done.

Don’t let anyone tell you the players are upholding the corrupt status quo of how the international market currently works. It’s not the players’ fault the league doesn’t enforce its own rules. It’s not incumbent on them to fix a broken system. Teams don’t deserve a reward for bad behavior.

Negotiations will continue Thursday. Let’s see what else the league throws in at the last minute.

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