Owners shift focus to unit bargaining

Approval of the sale of the Washington Nationals is almost assured.
NEW YORK (AP) -- With baseball owners set to approve the $450 million sale of the Washington Nationals today, they started turning their attention to the next hot topic: collective bargaining.
The Nationals' sale to Theodore Lerner and Stan Kasten won unanimous endorsements Wednesday from the sport's ownership committee and executive council, and all owners are to vote on it today. Approval is a foregone conclusion, and Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said he expects the Nationals will be transferred between June 15 and the All-Star game on July 11.
"They have been immersed in stadium discussions and planning," he said of the incoming owners.
Other business
DuPuy said there was no talk Wednesday of the quests by the Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics for new ballparks, or of the potential sale of the Atlanta Braves from Time Warner Inc. to Liberty Media Corp.
But he there was a lengthy discussion of labor. Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 19, and there have been several meetings between management and the union that DuPuy described as "informational" rather than negotiations.
Revenue sharing and the luxury tax appear to be the biggest items. In the labor contract agreed to in 2002, the sides established a tax that inhibits spending on players above specified payroll figures and specified that teams split 34 percent of their locally generated revenue, after deductions for ballpark expenses.
Those rules have cost the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox most, and some owners want even more revenue to be shared.
"There are some inequities in the revenue-sharing system right now that we think need to be addressed," DuPuy said, refusing to go into details.
The players' association has questioned whether teams that receive money are spending it to improve themselves.
Cites proof
Rob Manfred, baseball's top labor lawyer, gave a presentation on the subject to the council, and DuPuy cited the improvement in the farm systems as proof that the rules are being followed properly.
"We have contended all along that the money has been put to good use," DuPuy said, "that the increased level of competitive balance that you see throughout the industry over the last three to five years has been an indication of how that money is being used."
DuPuy said there has been "zero discussion" of a possible lockout after the contract expires.
"Our goal is to get an agreement as quickly as possible," he said. "We have a framework now that we can build on."
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