Since returning to New York, where both organizations are headquartered, M.L.B. and the union have met and exchanged proposals, including multiple times on Tuesday.
On Sunday, after hearing the players’ latest offer, which had modest tweaks, M.L.B. said it had been hoping to see more movement in its direction to get a deal done quickly and it claimed the union had actually gone backward on some issues.
“Simply put, we are deadlocked,” M.L.B. spokesman Glen Caplin said. “We will try to figure out how to respond, but nothing in this proposal makes it easy.”
M.L.B. did respond on Monday, offering some progress for the players on one of the biggest sticking points of these negotiations: the luxury tax system. Reluctant to raise thresholds because they believe the figures help preserve competitive balance among clubs, the owners offered to increase the first threshold by $8 million from their previous offer, to $228 million in 2022, and rising to $238 million in 2026 — the largest proposed increases from one agreement to the next in baseball history.
The first threshold — the payroll number at which teams incur penalties — in 2021 was $210 million. Arguing that the thresholds have not grown at the same rate as revenues and that clubs treat the luxury tax like a salary cap to limit spending, players have pushed for higher numbers. As of Sunday, the players were asking for the first threshold to start at $238 million in 2022 and jump to $263 million in 2026.
Like all proposals, certain olive branches toward the other side have come in a package of offers that act as a counterbalance. For example: M.L.B.’s offer of increased thresholds on Monday was attached to other items that players would have to weigh.