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sports Saturday 12 March 2022
Test for MLB players will be how deal looks to them in ‘26

By RONALD BLUM of the eight who earned
AP Baseball Writer under $12 million last year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Now Team player representa-
comes the test: Will base- tives voted 26-4 in favor,
ball players be happy leaving the overall player
with their new collective executive committee vote
bargaining agreement in 26-12 to approve.
2026? “You call it a division, I call
They clearly were unhappy it a healthy dialogue and
with the just-expired five- conversation,” Clark said.
year contract, which saw “From our standpoint, the
payrolls drop to their lowest process worked. Each
level since 2015. group and each team,
The agreement reached each player, have had
Thursday raises the com- an opportunity to engage
petitive-balance tax thresh- their team and and voice
old by $34 million over five their particular vote against
years, up from a $21 million the backdrop of the other
hike over the 2017-21 deal 25 members or 39 mem-
and an $11 million rise from bers, I guess I should say, of
2011-16. their club.”
“I think that the MLBPA “The individual subcom-
historically has wanted a mittee members who were
market-based system. Over Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, right, answers a question invested from start to finish,
multiple negotiations that at a press conference in their offices, in New York, Friday, March 11, 2022. Associated Press who were pushing to make
has been a primary ob- the gains that we all want-
jective of theirs,” baseball ed to make, they offered
Commissioner Rob Man- when the interests and pas- new deal, he would have committee, said in an tele- their vote against the back-
fred said after Thursday’s sions that the players have gotten an extra $2.5 million. phone interview with the drop of that democratic
deal ended a 99-day lock- for protecting the game The minimum salary goes AP. “It addresses a lot of system,” he said.
out. and the integrity of it is as up from $570,500 to the things that the players Clark and Manfred notably
“Markets produce market strong as it is,” union head $700,000, a 22.7% rise that is in the game should be fo- did not have a joint news
results. And I think that the Tony Clark said at a news the largest in a single sea- cused on: the competitive conference. Clark chose to
changes that were made conference Friday. son since 2003. integrity aspect of it.” wait a day for his.
in this agreement moved Young star players were the The union also hopes the Veteran players in leader- “I spoke to Tony after their
dramatically in their direc- biggest beneficiary of the deal boosts the middle: ship hoped to get more. ratification vote. I told him
tion on topics like the CBT deal. The median salary was The union’s executive that I thought we had a
threshold, and I think you’ll Shohei Ohtani earned $1.15 million at the start of subcommittee voted 8-0 great opportunity for the
probably see a little differ- $545,000 in 2018, when he last season, according to against the deal: Zack Brit- game in front of us,” Man-
ent market results as a re- was voted AL Rookie of the calculations by The Associ- ton, Jason Castro, Cole, fred said. “One of the things
sult of the changes.” Year. Had the new agree- ated Press, down 30% from Francisco Lindor, Andrew that I’m supposed to do is
Players and management ment been in place then, the $1.65 million record Miller, James Paxton, Max promote a good relation-
have had tense relations in he would have earned an high at the start of 2015. Scherzer and Marcus ship with our players. I’ve
recent years. Manfred said additional $750,000. “The deal pushes the game Semien. Five of the eight tried to do that. I think that
he hopes to improve that. Cody Bellinger was at forward,” Yankees pitcher are represented by agent I have not been successful
“I expect there to be dis- $605,000 in 2019, when he Gerrit Cole, a member of Scott Boras, and Castro, at in that. I think that it begins
agreements, particularly won NL MVP. Under the the union’s executive sub- $3.5 million, is the only one with small steps.”q

AP Exclusive: HR Derby could decide

All-Star Game winner

By RONALD BLUM 182-page memorandum Press, the page was signed
AP Baseball Writer of understanding signed by MLB senior counsel Kas-
NEW YORK (AP) — If the Thursday by MLB and the ey Sanossian and players’
next All-Star Game in Ma- players’ association is a association deputy general
jor League Baseball goes radical new method of po- counsel Matt Nussbaum.
deep into the night, a slug- tentially deciding the All- It is part of a 182-page
ger may get a chance to Star Game. “If the All-Star agreement that led to the
decide it by going deep — Game remains tied after end of MLB’s 99-day lock- New York Yankees infielder Luke Voit fouls off a pitch during
in a Home Run Derby. nine innings, the game will out and the opening of informal baseball workout at the University of South Florida
That’s right, say going, go- be decided by a Home training camps. Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
ing, goodbye to extra in- Run Derby between the This year’s All-Star Game is Associated Press
nings in the Midsummer teams, subject to the par- scheduled for Dodger Sta- since it began in 1933, the ninth inning.
Classic. Instead, bring ties’ agreement on details dium on July 19, awarded last two times 10 innings in The annual Home Run
on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and format,” reads exhibit to Los Angeles after the both 2017 at Miami and Derby on the night before
Shohei Ohtani, Fernando 13, titled “Tentative Agree- scheduled 2020 was can- 2018 at Washington. Teams the All-Star Game has be-
Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper and ment — All-Star Game and celed due to the coronavi- running short on pitchers come one of MLB’s popu-
the big boppers for a win- Home Run Derby.” rus pandemic. has become an issue as lar events and is not men-
ner-take-all blast-off. Dated March 1 and ob- The All-Star Game has gone managers try to get most tioned in the document as
Because buried deep in the tained by The Associated to extra innings 13 times pitchers in the game by the changing.q