New York Mets pitcher and Players Association representative Max Scherzer made it clear that they are ready to play baseball and get back to the table with owners, to try and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
He told The Athletic (subscription required) that he is confident there will be a season eventually. “The business will take care of itself. Right now, seeing how the business of the game has transpired, us as players, we recognize what we are trying to do here to make the game itself better. Whatever happens, happens. But we are ready to go whenever we do come to an agreement.”
The talks between the league and the players have reached an impasse: owners want to seek the help of a federal mediator, but the union refuses, saying that they are ready to bargain and pointing out that the owners were the ones who initiated the lockout.
The Mets’ ace is one of the strongest voices in the players’ side
The new Mets’ pitcher remains calm while he waits, but he reminded the league what players want over a series of tweets recently.
“We don’t need mediation because what we are offering to MLB is fair for both sides: We want a system where threshold and penalties don’t function as caps, allows younger players to realize more of their market value, makes service time manipulation a thing of the past, and eliminate tanking as a winning strategy,” he said, explaining some of the things the players need before agreeing to a new CBA deal.
We want a system where threshold and penalties don’t function as caps, allows younger players to realize more of their market value, makes service time manipulation a thing of the past, and eliminate tanking as a winning strategy.
— Max Scherzer (@Max_Scherzer) February 4, 2022
The Mets’ training camp, as well as most other camps around the league, were supposed to open next week, but since there isn’t a deal in place and the lockout is still going on, that won’t be the case unless the owners lift it.
The season starting on time (March 31) is now a pipe dream, and there is a chance that talks take up most of the spring.