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NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s negotiations to salvage opening day resumed at a new venue Monday: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.
The site of negotiations is about 3 miles from the home of New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer, among the eight players on the union’s executive subcommittee.
The ballpark usually would be the spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals at this time of year, but workouts failed to start on time last Wednesday due to baseball’s ninth work stoppage, its first since 1995.
Locked out baseball players and team owners were meeting for the second day in a row Tuesday in an attempt to reach an agreement that would salvage opening day on March 31.
The talks on the 83rd day of the second-longest work stoppage in baseball history marked only the second time since the lockout began that bargaining on core economic issues has taken place on consecutive days. The sides also met on Jan. 24 and 25.
MLB has told the union an agreement is needed by Monday for the season to start on time. Players have not said whether they accept that as a deadline.
On Monday, MLB increased its offer of a bonus pool for prearbitration players by $5 million to $20 million, upped its proposal from three to four for teams participating in an amateur draft lottery and dropped its request for flexibility to decrease domestic minor league contracts along with a plan to limit optional assignments to five per player each season.
The union wants a $115 million bonus pool, eight teams in a draft lottery and a maximum four optional assignments.
The players and teams are far apart on luxury tax thresholds and rates. The teams have told the union they will not increase salary arbitration eligibility, will not decrease revenue sharing and will not add new methods for players to accrue service time, which players said are needed to prevent teams from holding players back to delay free agency.
