Union wants competitive environment, meaningful free agency

CLEVELAND (AP) — The head of the baseball players’ association has detailed the union’s goals during collective bargaining, listing the restoration of a “competitive environment” and “meaningful free agency” as aims.

Baseball’s labor contracts runs until December 2021, but the sides committed last winter to early talks. Thus far, they met once to discuss the scheduling of future meetings.

Union head Tony Clark says his members want to have “getting players something closer to their value as they are producing it,” a reference to the structure that has players getting close to the minimum until they have nearly three years of major league service time, when they become eligible for salary arbitration.

He also says the union wants the “best players on the field at all times,” a reference to accusations that clubs hold top prospects in the minor leagues to delay their eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency, which requires six years of service.

Clark also has said rebuilding teams that are noncompetitive hurt the industry.