“Padres-Dodgers-Angels–What is Next?”

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They have a deal, despite all the acrimony.
They made a U-Turn late at night after 17-hours of failure.
The Union and Owners went into No Man’s Land and found peace.

Was the 99-day lockout worth it?
Financially for the players yes
Credibility for the owners no.

Camps will be open for players effective early Friday morning.
A good 4-weeks of spring training will take us quickly to the start of the season.
Circle April 7th on your calendar as the season starts.

MLB will figure out how to re-schedule the 6-missed games, using either doubleheaders or parts of the All star week to get the full 162-games in.

The Union battled and got pay raises in every category topped by the big bump in the Luxury Tax threshold, going from 210M last year to 230M this season and getting to 240M by the end of the contract.  Now we have to see how many teams will be willing to spend up to the threshold.

Big pay raises, 33-percent, for rookies.
Big pay bump for minor leaguers.
Bonus awards for Rookies of the Year.
A big pay pool for the 2-plus players who have good season
Bonus draft picks for teams that bring rookies up who have good seasons
Likely end to draft pick compensation and qualifying offers
A possible international draft that would end the corruption in Latin America
Rule changes a year from now to improve Pace of Play
An end of season 12-team playoff that makes August-September important
The DH arrives in the National League
A draft lottery to stop tanking
Ads on uniforms
Pay bumps for minor leaguers
Housing stipends for minor leaguers

And in the process, the owners signed additional TV deals with NBC and Amazon for mid week games plus the new revenue stream for ads on helmets and jerseys.

As ugly as this was, and it created much ill-will, this turns out to be ‘win win’ for all sides and labor peace for 5-season.

As the sun comes up in the Cactus League, we now concentrate on what the fans are interested in.

Will the Padres increase their payroll into the 200-millions?  They need a left-fielder and is Seiko Suzuki  of Japan the right fit?  Do they have a quality closer?  Will that entire starting rotation, hurt last year, come back 100% healthy? Was the right decision made about the Fernando Tatis surgery?  How will the  experienced intellect of Bob Melvin and a new staff resonate in the clubhouse?  For all they spent on Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers, will they retain them or try still to trade them?

At Dodgers Stadium, there is so much uncertainty despite the fact LA draws 4M  fans a year.  They’ve already lost two free agents.  What happens if Clayton Kershaw-Kenley Jansen exit?  They draw fans and have an unlimited budget to spend.  Freddie Freeman is out there.  So is Suzuki, so the roster this day may not be the roster opening day.

In Anaheim, so much hinges on health, whether that is 23M ex Mets pitcher Noah Syndegaard, the health of Mike Trout and  Anthony Rendon, or the gaps in a shaky starting rotation?  Time to win under Joe Madden, but this has been an organizational problem with talent .  And you wonder about the hurt within in the midst of the terrible Tyler Skaggs drug trial that has stained so many good people.

Baseball’s back, with its new CBA deal.  They still have alot to fix, from the Union-Owners relationship, to the eroding TV ratings, fan support and credibility.

MLB is a business but it is also a sport.  You hate to think it’s become just a Fortune 500-company.  You hope baseball isn’t saying screw the tradition, because history here is so important.

Good to hear an umpire yell ‘Play Ball’ but 2022 is more than just that.  Hope somebody realizes that and fixes these problems.

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