Opening Day is cancelled. Major League Baseball took the dramatic step of cancelling the season's first two series of the year yesterday, casting blame on the players for not accepting what they described as a very generous final offer.
On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick breaks down what went wrong on the final day of negotiations in Florida, as the league and the players attempted to hammer out a deal that would save the scheduled start date of the 2022 season. After a 16.5-hour negotiating session the night before, there seemed to be real optimism that a deal could be struck before MLB's made-up deadline for "saving" Opening Day. But the league accused the players of "changing their tone" the next day (something the players vehemently dispute), and presented them with a "best and final offer" that never had a chance of being accepted.
Ben breaks down what was in the league's proposal, and how it differs from what the players are seeking. He also discusses additional ramificaitons that come from missed games, including the loss of pay for players (and revenue for teams), as well as issues of service time. Starting at 15 days missed, players will potentially start losing out on the ability to accrue a full year of service, even if a "full season" is played. These are major issues that will now need to be an additional component of the CBA negotiations. Both sides are likely to go their separate ways for some period of time, before ultimately reconvening to continue bargaining.
Ben also continues his tour of the NL West, today comparing the division's bullpens. Ben thinks the Dodgers' pen ranks at the top on paper, but has the Giants close behind. A rag-tag group made up of cast-offs and under-the-radar players, Ben thinks the Giants' bullpen (with the likes of Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, Jake McGee, and a deep cast of others) has the potential to be good again. They led the majors in ERA at 2.99 in 2021. Following the Dodgers and Giants, Ben has the Padres well above the D-Backs and Rockies, who feature two of the game's weaker 'pens.
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