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Posted on 06/16/2026 4:45:20 PM PDT by Libloather
More than 30 years after Major League Baseball players went on strike and the league canceled the 1994 World Series, one of the major figures of that time is worried that history is repeating itself.
Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, who was exposed to scorn and contempt from fans as a forward-facing MLB Players Association executive subcommittee member during the 232-day strike, told ESPN that he is "100%" concerned that the players and league are barreling toward a work stoppage that could put the season in jeopardy similar to 1994-95.
That was the last time MLB officially proposed a salary cap system, which would be the most fundamental overhaul to the economic structure that has governed the game since the initial collective bargaining agreement in 1968. The league, which argued then that the game's revenue disparity was unsustainable long term, is again citing competitive balance as the impetus for its cap push. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.
Glavine, who over a 22-year career with the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets won 305 games, acknowledged the significant growth in the payroll gap between top and bottom teams but believes a cap is not necessary to solve it.
"I get the concerns over the disparity," Glavine said, "but I don't know that those concerns are any different, really, when you get down to the basics of what they were in '94, because I feel like we argued about the same things."
Glavine's anxiety about the potential for another calamitous fight echoes that of commissioner Rob Manfred, who was asked June 3 if he worries about a repeat of the labor discord that wiped out the 1994 postseason.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
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Rookie players get minimum $700,000 a year sans bonuses and incentives?
But this time? No one cares.
I stopped watching Baseball at 1 of those strikes and haven’t watched it since
The year the Indians should have won. :-(
Not worth a second of anyone’s time. $700,000 minimum? That is more than the squaw in the senate. Is she complaining?
I was watching Ken Burns’ Baseball. I went through the old time stuff I had heard of, the players my Dad talked about and through the players of my youth. Then wham! it was like a foreign country after the strike year. That’s how much baseball died for me in 1994.
“The league issued a warning to three San Francisco Giants pitchers after they wrote a Genesis verse on their ‘Pride Night’ caps, while LGBT activists demanded harsher punishment “
MLB is punishing players for Christian expression
So there’s that
Worse this time because no one cares, except maybe a few gays.
Millionaires striking against billionaires. I have no sympathy for either group. Greedy aholes all.
Ditto. I was huge fan. Huuuge.
I recall one big issue was minimum salary to be $250k. I was out bustin’ my ass every single friggin’ day for 30-35k at the time and these guys playing a kids game were demanding 250k or not going to “work.”
I said to H3!! with’em and haven’t been back since. I bet I haven’t sit thru one entire game since that strike.
And ya know, I have never missed it one bit.
MLB lost me in 1994. I never looked back.
Major League Baseball uses a system called the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT), which is essentially MLB’s version of a luxury tax.
Here’s how it works:
Each year MLB sets a payroll threshold.
Teams whose payroll exceeds that threshold pay a tax on the excess amount.
Repeat offenders pay higher tax rates than first-time offenders.
There are also additional surtaxes for teams that exceed the threshold by very large amounts.
Unlike the hard salary caps used by leagues such as the National Football League or National Hockey League, MLB teams can spend as much as they want—they just have to pay increasing penalties.
For example, in recent seasons, high-spending teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees have exceeded the CBT threshold and paid substantial taxes.
The luxury tax was introduced in 1997 and became a permanent feature of MLB’s labor system under later collective bargaining agreements.
Most of the money collected from MLB’s Competitive Balance Tax (luxury tax) does not get distributed directly to low-payroll teams.
Under recent collective bargaining agreements, the tax revenue is generally used for:
Player benefits and retirement programs – a significant portion helps fund player benefits.
Industry Growth Fund – money used for marketing and growing baseball.
Other MLB programs agreed to in the labor contract.
A smaller portion may be used for certain league initiatives and obligations negotiated between MLB and the players’ union.
MLB Pension Eligibility
A player becomes vested in the pension plan after 43 days of Major League service time (time on the active roster or MLB injured list).
Service time is accumulated in 43-day "quarters."
Pension benefits increase with each additional quarter earned.
A player reaches the maximum pension after 10 years (40 quarters) of MLB service.
When Can Players Collect?
Reduced benefits can begin as early as age 45.
Full benefits are generally available at age 62. Approximate 2026 Pension Values
At age 62:
43 days of service: about $7,250 per year
1 year of service: about $29,000 per year
5 years of service: about $145,000 per year
10 years of service: about $290,000 per year
Other Retirement Benefits In addition to the pension, players receive:
A 401(k)-type retirement plan with substantial team contributions.
Health benefits that can continue after retirement if service requirements are met.
Survivor benefits for spouses under certain elections.
One common misconception is that a player must play 10 years to get a pension. That's not true. Ten years gets the maximum pension, but a player who spends only 43 days in the majors still earns a vested pension benefit.
For comparison, many former MLB players who appeared in only a handful of games still receive pension checks decades later because they crossed that 43-day threshold.
I haven’t watched an inning of MLB in 30 years preferring College level baseball and girls softball.
While a few decent men that kids can look up to are involved on the field and thus on TV screens it seems most of them are chewing something in their mouth, their hair is down to their ass, silly fights break out, many, if not most hate America, many are foreign baseball players, many are cocky and arrogant and LGBTQ bs is prevalent.
I use to love listen Dizzy Dean (swung on and missed!!!), watching Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagoner, Pedro Martinez, Sandy Koufax, Roger Clemens and on and on.
MLB is dying. Let’s start planning the funeral.
If the MLBPA are stupid enough to go on strike and kill their sport, I have no sympathy for them.
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