New CBA & NL MVP

Tuesday, November 22 2011 @ 02:17 PM EST

The new CBA is out via MLB while Ryan Braun wins the NL MVP (332/397/597 in LF) over Matt Kemp (324/399/586 in CF, HR & RBI titles, 3rd in Avg).

Edit: Kelly Johnson to be modified type A - Jays get pick before team that signs him (if the Jays don't).

The new CBA lasts through the 2016 season which means since the lost 1994 WS we'll have 21 years of labour peace to which we all can go 'woohoo'.

Highlights include...

• A raise in the minimum salary from $414,000 this year to $480,000 in 2012, and ultimately to more than $500,000;
• Blood testing for human growth hormone as early as next spring, with a 50-game suspension for a first failed test;
  • All players will be tested for HGH during Spring Training, and for reasonable cause at any time during the season. Players will be subject to random, unannounced offseason testing starting in 2012-13. The parties agreed to jointly study the possibility of expanding it to include random in-season testing.
• Luxury tax on teams that spend above an agreed-upon figure for players signed through the annual First-Year Player Draft;
  • The penalties for exceeding a calculated monetary figure on Draft picks -- who can be signed only to Minor League contracts -- will be between 75 and 100 percent of the overage, as well as the potential loss of first- and second-round selections.
  • via Biz of Baseball, a Luxury Tax for international free agents will also be implemented but that "there will be a separate threshold and tax with penalties, and there will be a study committee that could put a new system in place later during the agreement.
  • The international signing limits won't affect the posting system for players from Japan
• Changes in Draft-pick compensation for the signing of free agents.
  • No more Type A and Type B rankings for free agents. From now on compensation only comes if their former club offers a guaranteed one-year contract with a salary equal to the average salary of the 125 highest-paid players from the prior season
  • Teams that sign players who have been offered these one-year deals will surrender their first round draft choice. However, teams with top-ten picks will give up their second-highest pick instead. (via MLB Trade Rumors)
• Teams with the lowest revenues and in the smallest markets will have an opportunity to obtain additional Draft picks through a lottery.
• The 15 teams in the largest markets will be disqualified from receiving revenue sharing by 2016, and active rosters will increase from 25 to 26 for select doubleheaders.
• The players must conceal tobacco products and may not carry tobacco products in their uniforms or on their bodies when fans are in the ballpark.
• Increased Number of Super Twos – About 5-6 more players will be "Super Twos". These are players have the highest level of Major League Service Time that are between 2 and 3 years of ML service time. The current agreement sees the top 17% of those players in terms of service time. That will rise to 22% for the upcoming agreement.

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https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20111122141731706