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MLB Players Association Pushes to Ban Player Props, Secure Sportsbook Deals in CBA Talks

The Major League Baseball Players Association is seeking to ban player proposition bets, establish a framework for sportsbook and prediction market sponsorships, and reshape sports betting discipline procedures in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with Major League Baseball, according to ESPN's David Purdum and Jeff Passan.

By Julian Merrick2 min read
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Key takeaways

  • The MLB Players Association is seeking to ban player proposition bets in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with Major League Baseball, according to ESPN's David Purdum and Jeff Passan.
  • The union ties its prop-ban push to a documented harassment pattern, citing threats against the families of Orioles pitcher Cade Povich and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
  • The MLBPA is simultaneously asking for a framework allowing players to sign endorsement deals with legal sportsbooks and prediction markets, monetizing their name, image, likeness, and jersey number.
  • The union's third proposal would let players suspended for betting violations serve a 15-day unpaid minor-league rehabilitation assignment near the end of their suspension.
  • Critics call the proposals contradictory, noting the union seeks sportsbook money while limiting sportsbook product and easing punishment for the conduct that most threatens the sport's credibility.

The Major League Baseball Players Association is seeking to ban player proposition bets, establish a framework for sportsbook and prediction market sponsorships, and reshape sports betting discipline procedures in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with Major League Baseball, according to ESPN's David Purdum and Jeff Passan.

Player Prop Ban Rooted in Harassment Pattern

The union's push to eliminate player props is tied to a documented pattern of abuse directed at players and their families. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich publicly called out online harassment after his wife was threatened. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., along with his wife and two daughters, received death threats following a poor outing. The MLBPA argues that removing player proposition markets would reduce the trigger for that harassment.

The proposal carries a secondary integrity rationale. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are currently on unpaid leave while awaiting trial on allegations that they rigged pitches — a case that has drawn attention to how individual player statistics can be targeted for manipulation.

Sportsbook Revenue and NIL Rights

Alongside the prop ban, the MLBPA is asking Major League Baseball for clarity on players' ability to sign endorsement and sponsorship agreements with legal sportsbooks and prediction markets. The union wants a defined process for players to monetize their name, image, likeness, and jersey number through those commercial partnerships.

The two proposals sit in tension. The union is seeking revenue from sportsbook partnerships while simultaneously asking the league to curtail the player-specific betting markets that drive much of that commercial value. That pairing has prompted criticism that the positions are structurally contradictory.

Disciplinary Proposal Draws Sharpest Opposition

The MLBPA's third request asks that players suspended for sports betting violations be permitted to serve a 15-day unpaid rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues near the close of their suspension. The proposal arrives as Congress is investigating betting scandals affecting both the NBA and Major League Baseball following federal charges in those cases.

The rehabilitation provision has generated the most resistance. Opponents argue that players who wager on or against their own teams pose a foundational threat to league integrity and that permitting minor-league assignments as a disciplinary off-ramp softens consequences in a context where the opposite message is needed. The three proposals collectively put the union in the position of seeking sportsbook money, limiting sportsbook product, and easing punishment for the conduct that most directly threatens the sport's credibility.

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Frequently asked

Why does the MLBPA want to ban player props?

The union argues that removing player proposition markets would reduce the trigger for online harassment and death threats directed at players and their families, and it cites a secondary integrity concern about manipulating individual player statistics.

What integrity case is referenced in connection with the prop ban?

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are on unpaid leave awaiting trial on allegations that they rigged pitches, highlighting how individual player statistics can be targeted for manipulation.

What is the disciplinary proposal and why is it controversial?

The MLBPA wants players suspended for betting violations to serve a 15-day unpaid minor-league rehabilitation assignment near the end of their suspension, and opponents argue this softens consequences for conduct that poses a foundational threat to league integrity.

Why are the union's proposals described as contradictory?

The union is seeking revenue from sportsbook partnerships while simultaneously asking the league to curtail the player-specific betting markets that drive much of that commercial value.

What broader context surrounds these negotiations?

The proposals come as Congress is investigating betting scandals affecting both the NBA and Major League Baseball following federal charges in those cases.