The Major League Baseball Players' Association made its latest bargaining proposal on Wednesday, this one designed around maximizing opportunities for big league salaries and service time.
The MLBPA pitched league owners on increasing roster sizes from 26 to 28 for the first 15 days of the season, preventing established big leaguers from being over-worked early in the season and giving players more opportunities to land on Opening Day rosters coming out of spring training.
The union also proposed allowing placement on the 60-day injured list, which opens additional spots on the 40-man roster, as soon as the November tender deadline, three months earlier than under the current system. The MLBPA also said it made presentations on earlier Rule 5 draft eligibility, as well as service time and salary protections for pitchers who are the victim of roster manipulation.
Any pitcher who records nine outs or throws 50 pitches in a game within seven days before the All-Star break and is optioned to the minors would receive major league pay and service time leading up to the fourth game following the break. Pitchers who meet those qualifications and are optioned postgame or the following day at any point in the season would also receive major league pay and service time for four days following their appearance.
The current collective bargaining agreement allows teams to send an eligible player down to the minor leagues as many as five times within a given season. The MLBPA wants that shortened to three.
This was all part of the MLBPA's third formal set of presentations in negotiations over a new CBA, which will expire in five months. Its principal economic proposal, on May 27, called for increases to the minimum salary, an expansion of the pre-arbitration bonus pool, earlier free agency and increases to the luxury-tax threshold, among other items. Last week, the MLBPA proposed a ban on prop betting on individual players to help combat harassment from disgruntled gamblers, suggesting a joint lobbying effort with MLB to pursue a prohibition on prop betting at sports books and with daily fantasy operators.
MLB is proposing a cap-and-floor system similar to that of the NHL, a major sticking point for the union, as well as an international draft and a massive reduction in domestic amateur signing bonuses. As part of its reserve-system proposal last week, MLB also agreed to minimum-salary increases, earlier free agency and the elimination of the qualifying-offer system, while also restricting the size of contracts teams can offer in free agency.
Other items from the MLBPA's proposal on Wednesday include:
The trade deadline moved to between July 21 to 27, as opposed to July 28 to Aug. 3, and for players outrighted to the minor leagues to still be eligible for trades thereafter. Also, the trade deadline should take place two full business days after the signing deadline for drafted players
Major league pay -- in addition to the service time they already get -- for players optioned to the minors in September or October
A "religious accommodations list" for players who receive approval to be away from the team for a religious observance, lasting between one and two days
Playoff eligibility for all players who are in an organization -- not just those on the 40-man roster -- by Sept. 1
Moving the Rule 5 draft from December to November on the final year of a CBA, ensuring that it takes place before a potential lockout. The last time the owners locked out the players, on Dec.1, 2021, the Rule 5 draft did not occur
Teams shall designate a bullpen catcher with prior professional experience as an emergency third catcher, as opposed to an active player
Free agents who sign within 10 days of Opening Day can agree to go to the minor leagues, provided the player is called back up within 10 days. An additional nine-day extension can also be granted
Players to have access to club-controlled performance data, with the MLBPA saying in a release that it would "increase transparency and allow players to track their work with the same information management is using."