MLB, players to hold next negotiating session Thursday originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The MLB players union is set to make the league a counterproposal in a scheduled labor negotiation Thursday, according to multiple reports.
MLB and the union most recently met last Saturday, when the league made a 130-page proposal that reportedly underwhelmed the union.
The proposal included slight increases to the luxury tax — the biggest issue in the ongoing labor battle — and minimum player salary, among other key issues.
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The union has proposed a $245 million luxury tax threshold, while the league's latest proposal would see it rise incrementally from $214 million in 2022 to $222 in 2026.
The league-implemented lockout in its third month has already delayed the start of spring training — multiple teams were scheduled to open camp Tuesday — and an on-time start to the regular season is in jeopardy.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he expects it would take less than a week between a labor agreement and camps opening. However, he added MLB estimates needing four weeks of spring training once a new labor deal is reached.
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That puts the end of February as a de facto deadline for the regular season to start on time as scheduled March 31.
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