Braves News: Start of Spring Training in jeopardy, 2022 prospects and more

Officials from Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association held another bargaining session that lasted 90 minutes Tuesday and was later described as “heated.” Further reports said that little progress was made during the session which is putting the start of Spring Training in further jeopardy. Pitchers and catchers are currently scheduled to report as early as February 14. It is going to take somewhat of a miracle for a deal to be struck in time to prevent a delay.

There are still wide ranging issues remaining including the formation of a bonus pool for pre-arbitration players. The Union also focused on a system that would help curtail service time manipulation in Tuesday’s meeting. The competitive balance tax is another big issue that hasn’t even been discussed in depth. The league is looking to raise the tax significantly while the owners to this point have offered just a four million increase over 2021.

Braves News

Our preseason Top 30 list rolled out a little over a week ago and now our minor league writers settle in for a roundtable discussion on the Braves’ system. Up first is a look at which prospects the group is most excited to see in 2022.

The Braves are likely to add a veteran starter to the mix once the lockout is over. Would former Astros right-hander Zack Greinke be a fit?

MLB News

Keith Law released his Top 100 prospect list on Monday with Cristian Pache, Michael Harris and Shea Langeliers all making the cut. On Tuesday, he rolled out a list of 14 players that just missed landing in the Top 100.

Minor League Baseball announced the launch of “The Nine” Tuesday which is a new Black-community focused outreach platform that is designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact of numerous Black baseball pioneers.

The San Diego Padres are a team that could also enter the sweepstakes for Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki.

The St. Louis Cardinals will reportedly be looking to add some “high leverage” arms to its bullpen once free agency resumes.