Story was originally published in The Sylva Herald
(Editor’s note: This article was written prior to the agreement to end the Major League Baseball lockout.)
Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report on Feb. 15 for the first taste of Major League Baseball in 2022, however, players like Smoky Mountain alumnus Cal Raleigh find themselves waiting for the call.
Raleigh, a graduate of Smoky Mountain in 2015, made his major league debut in July of 2021, and is currently on the 40-man roster of the Seattle Mariners.
For the first time since 1990, the MLB owners initiated a lockout protocol after a failure to come to an agreement with the MLB Players Association on the collective bargaining agreement. Previous lockouts have lasted no more than 32 days, however the 2022 lockout reached the 100-day mark on Saturday.
“I get updates from the players union, basically after every meeting they have,” Raleigh said in a phone interview. “I went down and was a part of the players union meeting a week or two ago in West Palm. It was very informative and I learned a lot.”
The MLBPA’s contention is centered around the treatment of younger players by MLB. Currently, all players are required to spend six years with a single team (unless traded) once they sign their major league contract. Each player is ineligible for salary arbitration until the end of their third season and will not be able to become a free agent until the conclusion of their sixth season.
The MLBPA wishes to allow younger players to get a say on their career sooner than the league currently permits.
Also, a big fight for the MLBPA is a salary cap and a salary floor. The biggest payroll in baseball for 2021 was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who spent $195 million in player payroll while the Cleveland Indians spent merely $23.5 million, the lowest payroll.
The MLBPA is pushing for both, the cap and the floor, in order to ensure that teams are able to compete fairly. A cap is to create an environment where teams cannot simply purchase wins because a team makes more money. They also wish for a floor so teams cannot purposefully “tank” for top-rated draft picks and constantly increase their profit margins.
The MLB owners wish to continue with the current “competitive balance tax,” as compared to a salary cap. The CBT, also known as a “luxury tax,” would act as a fine to teams that spend more than their allotted payroll established in the offseason and increases each year if the team does it consecutively. If a team falls below the luxury tax threshold, the counter is reset to zero.
Lastly, the MLBPA wishes to insert a revenue sharing protocol, in which owners of each major league club must openly share the amount of money spent and earned on a yearly basis. As it currently stands, the MLB owners are not required to share any information regarding finances unless they are the championship winning team.
Currently, MLB wishes to renew their current CBA, but include an expanded playoff system.
The current playoff includes 10 teams, two wild card games, four divisional, two league championships and one World Series championship. The proposed format would bump the number of eligible teams to 14 and would include seven teams per league with the top ranked team in each league earning a first round bye. Ultimately, by expanding the playoffs, the league will receive more revenue due to increased viewership.
At this moment, the MLB lockout has resulted in the cancellation of the first two weeks of the regular season. Opening Day was for March 31, however since neither side was able to reach an agreement by 5 p.m. on March 1, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred felt it was necessary to cancel the first week until an agreement can be met. The second week was canceled March 9.
Raleigh, however has high hopes for the season. The biggest adjustment has been the mentality this offseason.
“It is not necessarily about getting ready anymore,” he said. “I am ready now, so the mentality is staying ready, for whenever I get that phone call.”
