Report: MLB CBA Agreement 'Within Striking Distance'; Luxury Tax a Sticking Point

Amid mostly negative reports coming out of negotiations with MLB and the league's players association, at least one person involved has a ray of optimism.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, a source said the two sides are "within striking distance" and that a deal could be done by Monday night. This comes after Heyman reported Saturday that players were "very upset" and that the sides remained far apart.

TC Zencka of MLB Trade Rumors countered Heyman's latest report, saying a deal is still "not close."

Bob Nightengale of USA Today argued that "it would take a miracle for deal to come together by Monday." 

MLB has listed Feb. 28 as a deadline to avoid canceling regular-season games, per Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports. 

The two sides hadn't appeared likely to come to an agreement before the deadline, with Saturday's meeting reportedly going poorly. Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported MLB "reacted badly" to the latest proposal.

The competitive balance tax has been a major bone of contention between the two sides, serving as a luxury tax for teams with high payrolls. 

On Feb. 12, MLB proposed a threshold that starts at $216 million in 2024, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. This was a jump of $2 million from its previous proposal.

According to Drellich, the players dropped their figure by $2 million in Saturday's proposal.

Heyman reported the CBT is still a "sticky issue," but there could be an agreement at $225-230 million.

The league has already canceled spring training games through at least March 7.