Bill Shaikin: Expanded playoffs? For MLB players, a welcome bargaining chip in CBA negotiations
Blessed are the peacemakers, whomever they might be. In this unlikely case, blessed are the television networks.
Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, with the prospect of a strike or lockout looming. The players want major reforms, but the owners are pretty happy with the current system. The players desperately need a bargaining chip.
Enter the television networks, who have suggested they would pay more for broadcast rights if baseball would stage more playoff games. The players union would have to approve a postseason expansion, and nothing says "bargaining chip" quite so well as a union standing between management and an infusion of cash.
The 2022 season would be the first under the
