After a long period of inactivity, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will hold a bargaining session Thursday. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that the league reached out to the union to set up the meeting and are planning to present a proposal that touches on core economic and competitive issues.
While it is good that both sides are returning to the table, the chasm between the two sides remains. This will be the first discussions held on economic issues since the lockout began. With the start of Spring Training scheduled to begin in the middle of February, the clock is ticking.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the league’s proposal isn’t expected to address the service time structure which is a key piece of the union’s demands. The report states that the proposal will include a slight increase to the league minimum salary and changes to draft pick compensation for signing free agents who were given a qualifying offer.
The union is unlikely to be amenable to the upcoming proposal, but perhaps the meeting will spur along further negotiations.
Braves News
FanGraphs’ Jake Mailhot takes a look at a group of hitters who could benefit from scrapping switch hitting. Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies topped the list with an 80-point wOBA split.
Billy Wagner spent just one season with the Atlanta Braves and has an intriguing Hall of Fame case.
When the international signing period opens Saturday, the Atlanta Braves will have a bonus pool of $5,179,700 to spend.
Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr’s youngest son Dallas is currently starring in the fourth season of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.”
MLB News
The New York Mets announced Tuesday that the team will retire Keith Hernandez’s No. 17 in a ceremony on July 9.
Construction has begun at Camden Yards where the Baltimore Orioles are changing the stadium’s left field dimensions. The stretch of left field wall from the foul pole to the bullpen area in left center will be moved back approximately 30 feet while the wall height will be increased around 12 feet.