MLB, MLBPA agree to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement

12-team playoff pool, a universal designated hitter, increased minimum salaries, and increases in the luxury tax thresholds highlight the new pact

The second-longest work stoppage in baseball history came to a conclusion on Thursday evening when Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to terms on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement.

The 30 club owners ratified the deal after the players and executive committee (each club has one representative along with an eight-member executive sub-committee) voted 26-12 in favor of the league’s final proposal on Thursday afternoon. As such, spring Training camps will open to players on 40-man rosters this weekend, spring games will commence late next week, and Opening Day will be on April 7.

The league has yet to issue a revised 2022 schedule, but each team will play 162 games and the season will be extended by three days at the end of the year with the rest of the postponed games made up with doubleheaders throughout the course of the regular season.

"I am genuinely thrilled to say Major League Baseball is back and we're going to play 162 games,'' MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday evening. "I want to start by apologizing to our fans. I know the last few months have been difficult.''

In addition, clubs can resume signing free agents to major league contracts effective immediately and execute trades for players on 40-man rosters as well.

As part of the new deal, a 12-team playoff pool will be introduced in 2022, with the top two seeds receiving a first round bye. The first round will be a three-game series. There will also be a designated hitter in the National League going forward. Seven-inning doubleheaders and ghost runners in extra innings, implemented during the 2020-21 COVID seasons, will now be gone.

In addition, the league minimum salary will increase from $570,000 to $700,000 in 2022 and will escalate to $780,000 over the course of the deal. Players who are not yet eligible for arbitration will be able to earn performance-based bonuses as part of a new, $50 million pool.

The new competitive balance tax (or, luxury tax) threshold will be $230 million in 2022, an increase from $210 million in 2021. The threshold will top out at $244 million by the conclusion of the new collective bargaining agreement.

There will also be an amateur draft lottery implemented which should serve to discourage tanking, but also the ability for the league to implement rule changes (size of bases, enforceable pitch clocks, shift banning) beginning in 2023.

As players watched revenues rise along with and increase in franchise valuations in recent years, average salaries had decreased over the last five years. Throughout the bargaining process, players repeatedly stated they were seeking more financial equity for every class of player, specifically for those not eligible to enter the free agent market, while at the same time promoting competition via spending on players in the arbitration process and/or in the free agent market and raising the competitive balance tax thresholds in the process.

While not at the levels the players were originally seeking, the union achieved modest wins and progress with new league minimums, bonus pools and raises in the competitive balance tax threshold.

“Our union endured the second-longest work stoppage in its history to achieve significant progress in key areas that will improve not just current players’ rights and benefits, but those of generations to come,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement. “Players remained engaged and unified from beginning to end, and in the process reenergized our fraternity.”

The Just Mets newsletter will resume daily operation beginning Monday, March 14.

For additional details on the new collective bargaining agreement, check out MLB.com.

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What’s Up with the Mets? 💭

• Neither Kris Bryant or Michael Conforto are currently on the Mets radar. Rather, they will center their focus on acquiring pitching (SNY), although they remain interested in adding offense (Heyman)

• Max Scherzer intends to report to spring training on Friday (Heyman)

• JD Davis believes he will be traded before the season starts (New York Post)

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The Just Mets newsletter will resume daily operation beginning Monday, March 14.