A New Battle Over Roster Rules
The latest round of negotiations between the Major League Baseball Players Association and team owners has produced a sweeping set of proposals that could reshape how rosters are built and how players are compensated at the minor‑league level.
Central to the players’ agenda is a reduction in the number of optional assignments a player can receive to the minors, dropping the limit from five to three over the course of a season, a move intended to curb constant shuffling and give prospects more stability.
The union also wants pitchers who are optioned after meeting defined performance thresholds to continue receiving major‑league salary and to accrue service time, a change that would affect how teams manage talent and could alter the typical workload of arms in the rotation.
In addition, players are asking for a temporary expansion of active rosters to 28 for the first 15 days of each season and for the 60‑day injured list to open at the November tender deadline, measures designed to give clubs greater flexibility in protecting talent from the Rule 5 draft.
The proposal further calls for accelerated eligibility for the Rule 5 draft, restoring age thresholds that were in place through 2005, and for ensuring the draft proceeds even if a lockout were to occur, while also demanding access to non‑proprietary team performance and video data.
Owners, for their part, have introduced the first salary‑cap concept in decades, a concession that could set the stage for broader financial negotiations later in 2027, when labor talks are expected to intensify in late February or early March.