MLB Warns Teams Against Sending Holiday Cards to Players During Potential Lockout

Major League Baseball has instructed its teams to refrain from sending holiday cards or gifts to players once a potential lockout begins on December 2. The directive comes from a 34-page memo issued by MLB executive Dan Halem to owners and high-level team executives, detailing guidelines for conduct during a labor stoppage.

According to the memo, "Sending Players holiday cards or gifts would not be permissible during a Lockout." However, teams are permitted to send such items to players before the deadline. The memo also addresses other aspects of team-player interaction during a lockout, stating that while team staffers may attend player weddings they are invited to, business discussions are prohibited. If a club official encounters a player in public, they are advised to remain cordial.

The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association is set to expire on December 1.

In recent bargaining efforts, MLB presented several proposals to the Players Association. These included a reduction of the regular season to 154 games, extending the division series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, and allowing higher-seeded teams to select their playoff opponents. These proposals, however, are contingent on the players agreeing to a salary cap.

The MLB Players Association has characterized these proposed changes as "anti-player," stating that the league's proposals are tied to a salary cap system that they believe "guts player rights and compensation." The players' association indicated that players will review the proposals and respond at the bargaining table.

Despite the impending labor dispute, Halem's memo also conveyed the league's "commitment has been and remains to exhaust every realistic option to achieve our goal of reaching an agreement with the Players Association."