Boston Red Sox

Why Monday’s lockout deadline is important for MLB, players in discussions

Why is Monday so impactful in the league's lockout discussions?

MLB lockout
On a warm February day, a bicyclist spins by Fenway Park. The Red Sox as well as major league players are still in a lockout with team owners. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

By Tom Westerholm

2 minutes to read

On Monday, MLB and representatives of the player’s union will meet in a last-ditch attempt to beat a key deadline in the lockout: Missing regular-season games.

Here’s a closer look at what the discussions on Monday will mean and what fans should expect going into the day.

Why is Monday a deadline?

Because MLB decided it was. The league told players that if a deal is not reached by Monday, it will begin canceling games starting with Opening Day and the first week of the season. Notably, however, there is not a time of day when the teams and players are required to stop talking. If the two sides are close to a deal, or if they have positive momentum, they can keep conversations open indefinitely.

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The MLB season is slated to begin on March 31. A last-minute February agreement could give players enough time to get to spring training and prepare for the year to begin on time.

How have talks been going?

Per multiple reporters, discussions on Sunday were “productive,” although no agreements were reached.

Still, morale about a full agreement doesn’t seem high. It’s somewhat telling that reports akin to “the owners and the union aren’t yelling at each other at least” are seen as positive progress. Meanwhile, reporters used phrases like “No one was overflowing with optimism” to describe the mood.

Are players really going to be willing to forfeit game checks?

Unclear. Also unclear: If players would actually have to forfeit game checks. The union has noted — in what is presumably a pretty pointed media message to its members — that it both can and plans to negotiate for backpay on any games missed in the final deal.

In other words: Hang tight.

Has anything been resolved?

Not much. Still, the two sides made progress over the weekend on an interesting issue: The amateur draft order and lottery. The league reportedly made an offer and the players came back with an offer of their own the same day. At this stage, that constitutes progress.

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This reportedly was always one of the issues where the two sides could find common ground, but it could play an important role. Players reportedly want many of the teams near the bottom of the league to fall into a lottery, which would disincentivize tanking. Famous agent Scott Boras made the case that tanking is dealing the sport an enormous blow at November’s general managers’s meeting. Boras’s proposals aren’t likely to be palatable for owners, but owners did reportedly offer to allow three teams to fall into a lottery and then be eliminated from the lottery for three years.

If nothing else, the draft issue could be an opportunity for the sides to find some common ground and gain a foothold into further negotiations.

When are they meeting?

“Earlier” in the day. What that means, if anything, is unclear.

So how should we feel?

No one has characterized the situation as “hopeless”, which is something. If the league is serious about its deadline, it will be motivated to avoid financial losses. The players could negotiate backpay, but they won’t have to do so if they can find their way to an agreement.

Still, owners seem determined to hold to their deadline, and players have little reason to cave at this stage. Talks were “hostile” as recently as Saturday, and the sides remain “far apart” on key issues.

“Hopeless” might be too strong, but “hopeful” certainly seems entirely too optimistic.

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