Chicago Cubs: 3 ways a new CBA can save the game of baseball

For the first time since MLB owners launched a lockout of the players, subsequently ending anything baseball related until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, MLB and the MLBPA met for the first time last Thursday in a first attempt to come to a new agreement.

It’s no secret – the two sides don’t tend to see eye-to-eye on much. The relationship between the league and players association is the worst in any professional sport. In the last two years, that relationship has only soured further. In the early stages of the pandemic, the league and players refused to get on the same page on certain key elements needed to play any baseball in 2020. That caused unwarranted ramifications, ultimately delaying Opening Day even further, and shortening the regular season to a mere 60 games.

With neither sides willing to budge on their belief of how certain aspects of an agreement should look, the two parties found themselves in a standoff, forcing MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to initiate the start of the season on his own. At least to me, both sides came off rather entitled in the sense of how much money each of them should earn.

Meanwhile, fans had become riddled with anxiety due to a raging pandemic that’s cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States. Lost lives, people losing their jobs and a general uneasiness that emanated throughout society. Those same fans, who are the heartbeat of the game after all, desperately just wanted a distraction in the form of their favorite sport, caring very little to hear about how many millions of dollars both sides think they should earn.

After what seemed like the grim reality of there being no season at all was about to be upon us, finally the cleats were laced and the boys played ball. Unfortunately, in an ironic twist of fate, the arguments over finances that further delayed the start of the season served as the catalyst as to why both sides didn’t make as much as they could have if they just dealt with their disdain for each other and moved on from the very start.

Fast forward two years and here we are again. Spring training is now just a little over a month away and in regards to the offseason, teams aren’t even finished signing free agents yet. Still, the sense of urgency is much lower than you would like to see at this point.

Though the truth is that it won’t take a very lengthy period of time to ramp up and get ready for spring training once a new CBA is reached, the clock is ticking. With the history of these two sides and their ‘drag their feet’ approach to negotiating, it is time to get this ball rolling and not have a repeat of 2020. Ironically, with both sides negotiating how to make baseball better as a whole, the reality is that the image of baseball is only being tarnished further the more the bickering continues.

In regards to making baseball better, as a whole, there are several avenues and agreements the league and players association can reach to provide a much needed spark to the excitement of the game. Though the options are plentiful on the how game can improve, let’s analyze just three that are a good starting point.