The Major League Baseball Players Association made the first move towards negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the league’s owners, and it didn’t take long for their proposal to be shot down. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had the details, and almost none of them have any chance at being implemented. There might be a starting point for discussion on a few ideas, but the players have to know their opening position is asking a lot. It essentially maintains the league's current financial structure, but with a solid chunk of changes. The headline proposal calls for a “competitive-integrity tax” that would apply to any team that didn’t spend at least $150 million on its roster every year. It would effectively act as a salary floor, but wouldn’t be a “hard” floor. Think of it like a luxury tax, but instead of punishing teams for going over a certain salary, it hits them for going under a base level. It’s likely the players avoided a hard floor because they know the owners will answer back with a hard salary cap. Some of the other key points in the MLBPA’s initial proposal are below:An increase in the league’s minimum salary from $780,000 to $1.5 million.An increase in the first CBT threshold from $244 million to $300 million.An increase in the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $50 million to $180 million.An increase in the number of players with two to three years of experience eligible for Super 2 status from 22% to 44%.A change to make players who are 30 with five or more years of service eligible for free agency—players currently need six full years of MLB service to reach free agency.Changes to the revenue-sharing system that would distribute more local television money but decrease the amount from in-stadium revenue—this would reward teams that win and draw crowds.It didn’t take long for MLB’s owners to issue a statement largely shutting down the proposals. The league’s statement is below:We appreciate the union making a set of proposals and we look forward to continuing the bargaining process and working towards solving the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us needs to be addressed. We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address and in fact exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address. The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue Clubs, weaken the Competitive Balance Tax, and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the Union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.The owners are expected to make their first proposal to players tomorrow. It is almost certain that offer will include a hard salary cap. The current CBA expires on December 1. MLB owners and players union gearing up for a lockoutThe last collective bargaining agreement between MLB and its players was ratified on March 10, 2022. That was a hard-fought battle that included a lockout and a delayed start to the season. This time around, most expect things to get even uglier. Given the payroll and revenue disparity across baseball, most owners want to level the playing field. In their theory, not only would such a change increase competitiveness and improve ratings and attendance, it would also make each franchise more valuable. They view a salary cap and an even distribution of all television money as the route to do that. The players will likely never accept a salary cap, and, as mentioned, their “competitive-integrity tax” in their proposal is essentially a salary floor. The proposal issued today likely had the owners rolling their eyes, while whatever they send over tomorrow will have the same effect on the players. That said, both proposals will set the margins for discussions as the two sides begin negotiations. Don’t expect this to be over quickly. More MLB from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow