Next few days will be key in MLB labor standoff

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The current labor staredown between MLB’s owners and players is entering a pivotal stage. First, on Thursday, with commissioner Rob Manfred’s media session and then with a potential counterproposal to the union not long after these meetings conclude here at the Waldorf-Astoria adjacent to Disney World.

Manfred will be under the microscope during Thursday’s closing address, when he is expected to announce a delay to the start of spring training, originally scheduled for Feb. 15. That comes as no surprise, given the stalled state of CBA negotiations, and Manfred is sure to be grilled about the icy effect of MLB’s self-imposed lockout, which has mostly frozen the sport since Dec. 2 and only served to further chill the already frosty relations between the two sides.

While one source described some common ground Wednesday between the players and owners on a general economic framework going forward, hammering out the details is another story. Both have similar thoughts regarding the core concepts, such as the competitive balance tax and salaries for younger players, but the adversarial relationship between owners and players has crippled the limited talks so far.

Manfred also must find a way to bridge any difference of opinions among the owners, as big-market, big-spending franchises like the Yankees and Mets don’t have the same financial concerns as revenue-sharing teams at the other end of the spectrum. It’s safe to assume that New York’s clubs are eager to get back on the field as soon as possible -- the Mets already have invested more than $250 million this winter improving their 2022 roster -- in order to rake in regular-season revenue. Other teams, more wary of the bottom line, may be willing to hold out if they believe sacrificing games could work to their benefit in the long run.

Some have expressed optimism that a March 1 start to spring training remains a possibility, but the window won’t stay open long, and even that date seems questionable given the recent pace of negotiations. Despite gathering in Orlando this week for the quarterly meetings, the owners have chosen to stay quiet on the CBA situation, preferring to let Manfred handle the heavy lifting with Thursday’s wrap-up with reporters on site.

That hasn’t been the case with the players, however, as they’ve turned to social media to express their feelings on the subject. A number of players took to Twitter last Friday after the union turned down MLB’s request to include a federal mediator in the talks, assailing Manfred and challenging the owners to get back to the negotiating table.

The expectation is the two sides will speak again shortly, perhaps as early as Friday. But in the meantime, the Players Association has held its own strategy sessions in both Arizona and Florida, using this week as a chance to regroup while the owners huddled in Orlando.

"I was at our PA meeting in [Arizona] and it was exciting to see solidarity this high," Gerrit Cole, a member of the union’s executive subcommittee, said Wednesday in a tweet. "We had 100+ players show up and are united to protect the integrity of the game."

To the players, integrity also includes anti-tanking measures and protection against service-time manipulation, issues that the owners seem to agree are critical for the sport going forward. The struggle to figure out the blueprint for that future, however, is currently putting the sport in jeopardy.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.