Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images
MLB and the MLB Umpires Association came to a “tentative agreement” on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement on Monday, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The new CBA is still pending ratification by the umpires and owners in Jan. 2025, as the previous contract between both sides expired after the 2024 season concluded.
The agreement means the league is “likely to move forward” with plans to test out an automated strike system throughout Spring Training prior to the 2025 season, per Rogers.
Discussion surrounding the potential implementation of an automated ball-strike system has grown in recent years.
On Nov. 20, MLB announced that it would test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during Spring Training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams in 2025, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026 (via Ronald Blum of the Associated Press).
“I would be interested in having it in ’26,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, per Blum. “We do have a collective bargaining obligation there. That’s obviously a term and condition of employment. We’re going to have to work through that issue, as well.”
Rogers noted on Monday that the automated system was “one of the final steps” that both sides were working on in the new CBA.
After the deal was reached, the umpires union released a statement.
“It’s a fair contract and the OTC [office of the commissioner] treated us with respect throughout the negotiations,” the union said, via Rogers. “We understand the role we play in our game and have worked hard to build our relationship into a partnership with open communications. We look forward to the continued positive growth in the game in the years to come.”
With new agreements being reached every five years, MLB and the MLBUA have now gone five straight contracts without a labor dispute.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
