Because Rob Manfred has a tenuous relationship with the truth and lacks the charisma that makes some lies charming, there usually isn't a whole lot of good that comes out of him talking to the media.
Sure enough, his conference today included ideas laughable (owners get a poorer return on their teams than they would on the stock market) and wrong (the competitive-balance tax penalties are the same, when in fact the league has proposed harsher terms).
However, if you can set aside the specifics -- and he wishes you would -- I'm taking the overall story as a step forward toward ending the lockout, mostly for two reasons:
No. 1: He said he saw missing games as "a disastrous outcome for this industry," and while that could be posturing, Manfred is the one responsible for the work stoppage in the first place. The owners could end the lockout at any point to restore the schedule, so they put themselves on the hook for a late start to the season. It doesn't seem like Manfred is intending to outline the possible colossal mistake his side is willing to make. Rather, it reads to me like the start of back-patting for when a deal gets done.
No. 2: The league did voice two things it's willing to give the players, and while MLB has been fine with universal DH for years, the elimination of draft pick compensation for free agent represents gained ground for the MLBPA.
There are probably strings attached, and I'm guessing we'll be hearing about equal steps forward and backward when the league finally responds with its counterproposal to the union on Saturday, especially if Manfred's incorrect characterization of the CBT penalties is reflective of their larger approach. Still, if Manfred thinks the season could start on time with four weeks of spring training, and if it could commence with MLB players within days of a deal being reached, then he's painted a timetable where negotiations about have two weeks to completely unfold before his worst-case scenario becomes realized. Meanwhile, Manfred also confirmed that minor-league players won't be used in MLB spring training games, so teams would be the ones to lose revenue first if spring training games began to melt off the calendar.
As for the items the league says it's willing to grant, both would benefit the White Sox. Their roster is overloaded with corner players at various price points, so the market for Yermín Mercedes, Eloy Jiménez and everybody in between expands considerably. (I just like to mention trading Jiménez.)
Meanwhile, Michael Conforto, Nick Castellanos and Trevor Story would have no strings attached in whatever deals they reach. That naturally raises the price of each of those players, but if the White Sox were hesitant to remove opportunities to improve a league-worst farm system while filling holes on the 26-man roster, those particular concerns would be eliminated.
Reminder
The presale windows for the "Me and the Boys BABIPpin" shirt and Sox Machine trucker cap end tomorrow at noon CT. I'll be ordering a few extra of each (and posting to Patreon about them first when they're in), but preordering will ensure that your shirt and/or cap is locked in.
