A Lot to Like

Now that I've had a few days to let MLB's new CBA sink in, I've gotta admit, there are a lot of things I like about it.  Even if it was incredibly frustrating that it took them significantly longer than it should've, the important thing is that we have a deal and there will be a full, 162-game season.  Anything less would've been disastrous, which I think both sides finally realized just in time.

Of course, blaming the owners and Rob Manfred for both the stalemate and the length of it would be easy.  Everyone knew what the owners were doing, including the players.  Once they imposed their "deadlines" (that proved to be entirely artificial), they expected the players to panic and accept their "last, best offer" or risk losing games and the full season salary that came with them.  Except they didn't.  The players called their bluff and ended up with a better deal as a result.

The last two CBAs favored the owners.  This one still does, but it definitely swings some important things in the players' direction.  Including some major wins for the players...

• Universal Designated Hitter: Sorry National League purists, but it was time.  The NL was the only level of baseball not using the DH.  We also knew it was coming after they used the universal DH during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the Earth didn't stop spinning on its axis.  The most important thing about this, of course, is that it creates 15 more DH jobs.  It also doubled the market for players like Nelson Cruz, who signed with Washington.  Suddenly a player who doesn't own a glove can play in the National League!  That's obviously a huge win for those veteran guys.
• Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool: This was a creative way to settle one of the union's biggest concerns...getting younger players paid earlier.  And, after all of the back-and-forth, they ended up meeting right in the middle at $50 million.  Go figure!  I like that it'll reward performance, which means you have to earn it.  The owners are still gonna lowball these guys on their contracts, but they'll at least get paid what they're worth thanks to the bonus pool.
• Full Year of Service Time: I was curious how they'd end up settling the issue of service time manipulation.  Because there wasn't really anything the players could do to prevent it.  But, I must admit, I like what they come up with.  The top two finishers in Rookie of the Year voting get a full year no matter how long they're in the Majors.  That should, hopefully, incentivize teams to call up their top prospects earlier, especially if they can help them win.
• Limit On Options: Not sure which side came up with this one, but it doesn't matter.  Because it's great!  No more constant shuttling of relievers back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors!  Now you can only do it five times.  While this could result in some guys getting stuck in the Minors when they otherwise wouldn't be, it will also work the other way and keep some guys in the Majors instead of coming up, pitching once and immediately getting sent down.  Rinse and repeat.
• Draft Lottery: Will teams still tank?  Maybe.  But now they do so at their own risk with a six-team NBA-style draft lottery.  I like the other provisions they put in limiting the number of times a team can be in the lottery in consecutive years.  If anything, it should speed up the rebuilding processes, since the Cubs/Astros model is no longer a viable option.
  
• Minimum Salary: In 2021, it was $570,500.  In 2022, it'll be $700,000.  Then go up $20,000 each year for the duration of the five-year CBA.  While this likely means very little to the top players who earn millions per season, it's a huge deal for the majority of Major Leaguers, who play at or close to the minimum.  This is a significant raise, and it doesn't even include the bonus pool.
• International Draft: Who would've thought this would be the thing that got the deal over the finish line?  It's not a small thing, either.  The owners have wanted an international draft for years.  The players hate draft pick compensation for free agents.  So, they compromised.  If they can come to an agreement about the international draft and the structure of it, they'll take away draft pick compensation.  If they can't, draft pick compensation stays.  Considering how much the players hate draft pick compensation, it seems likely that they'll figure out the international draft.
• Competitive Balance Tax: There wasn't any doubt that the luxury tax threshold would go up.  Going up $20 million is huge, though.  Especially with so many teams treating it as a de facto salary cap.  Hopefully this leads to more spending.
• Rule Changes: Both of the stupid pandemic rules are gone!  No more seven-inning games or idiotic runners on second base to start extra innings!  Some people liked those rule changes.  I did not.  It's also likely that more rule changes are in store for the future.  They're gonna experiment with some in the Minor Leagues this season, and a committee (consisting of players, owners and an umpire) was formed that can implement any changes with 45 days' notice.

Then there's the biggest thing of all...the expanded playoffs.  The owners originally wanted 14 teams, which would've been too many.  So they settled on the 12 that the players wanted.  And there are so many good things about the 12-team playoff, the biggest of which is that there will be an additional wild card team in each league.  Which means more teams will be in contention and, theoretically, buyers at the trade deadline.

They've also expanded the Wild Card round to a best-of-three series.  The single Wild Card Game was fun, but the winner-take-all element of it did seem a bit harsh.  And they play three-game series all season, so it's much more representative than the one-game crapshoot.

My favorite part of the expanded playoffs, though, is that it creates races on both ends.  There obviously will still be that push for the wild card spots, but now being the No. 4 seed just became a whole lot more important since you're hosting all three games of a best-of-three.  Likewise, in the past, there wasn't much of a difference between No. 2 and No. 3.  Now it's huge.  No. 2 gets a bye to the Division Series and gets a chance to set up its pitching while No. 3 has to play a Wild Card Series and use at least its top two pitchers.  So, you can bet teams will fight for that No. 2 seed!

So, as I said, there's a lot to like in this new CBA.  Which is what's so frustrating about why it took so long!  None of that matters anymore, though.  The free agent frenzy is underway and it's almost time to play ball!