Collective Bargaining Agreement

Negotiations between the players' union and the owners are moving at a fast pace according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, and he reports that the two sides have all but agreed to add one wild card team per league. A one-game playoff would then determine which wild card team advances. The system could be installed as soon as next season, but no later than 2013.

One of Sherman's sources said it was a done deal, another said it was likely to play out that way. Nothing will become official until the next Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed, however. The current CBA expires in December, but the intensity of the talks gives both sides hope that a new deal will be announced during the World Series. The owners are interested in expanding the playoffs to increase the number of contenders, as well as add inventory to sell a TV network. The one-game playoff would create additional incentive to winning the division.

A major hurdle that remains in the CBA negotiations is the draft, particularly whether or not to include a slotting system. Sherman says there is also a lot of work to be done creating two 15-team leagues, which in part hinges on the sale of the Astros since they are the club most likely to move from the NL to the AL. Six five-team divisions would help create a more balanced schedule. 

The collective bargaining agreement between players and owners expires on December 11th, but the sides may announce a new agreement well before then. Michael Weiner, the executive director of the MLB Players Association, told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he’s aiming for resolution by the end of the World Series.

"In 2006, it was very productive for us to be done before the signing season," Weiner said. "There's a lot of benefit to everybody to get it done on that kind of schedule."

Representatives from the MLBPA have met with representatives for baseball’s owners on a weekly basis since Spring Training to discuss a new CBA. Commissioner Bud Selig says talks have been “constructive” so far.

On the one hand it’s completely unsurprising to hear that the sides would like to complete a deal earlier, rather than later (what else would they say?). But there are real advantages to completing the agreement before the offseason begins in earnest. Everything from the luxury tax to salary arbitration to draft pick compensation could be affected under the new agreement, so it would be much simpler for executives and agencies to operate if a new set of rules is clearly in place by the end of October.