As MLB's regular 2024 season wrapped up in September following the World Series, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association's (MLBUA) collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was also reaching its pinnacle at the end of this month. However, the association has agreed to a tentative five-year CBA with MLB. The agreement, which has been signed until 2029, is scheduled for ratification by the umpires and the 30 MLB teams in January.
MLBUA expresses satisfaction with the contract
Reflecting on the contract, Major League Baseball Umpires Association expressed their satisfaction with the accord and acknowledged the respect they were given throughout the mediation.
"It’s a fair contract and the OTC [Office of the Commissioner] treated us with respect throughout the negotiations,” the MLBUA said in their statement. “We understand the role we play in our game and have worked hard to build our relationship into a partnership with open communications. We look forward to the continued positive growth in the game in the years to come."
Once the CBA is ratified by the umpires and the MLB teams, it would mark the fifth successive five-year contract reached without the expiration of the previous deal.
A go-ahead for the new automated ball strike after the new CBA ratification
Once MLBUA and clubs ratify the new contract, it is going to be a significant step towards the automated ball-strike system (ABS), a hawk-eye camera technology used to precisely judge pitch and mark the ball's trajectory to the strike zone. The testing of the aforementioned technology is set to commence with the upcoming spring training. However, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has denied the possibility of the new system going live during the 2025 season. Notably, the ABS system has been experimented with since 2022 at the Triple-A level, and it was also implemented during the All-Star Future Games last summer in Arlington, Texas.
The 2025 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to begin with a two-game series faceoff between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs on March 18 to 19 in Tokyo, Japan, while the regular season marks its beginning at the end of March, i.e., the 27th.