Uncertainty in the new CBA could stall free agent signings

Talks between MLB owners and players have apparently hit a snag over the issue of "hard slotting" for draft picks. The MLBPA is said to want to eliminate the compensation that clubs have to pay for signing Type A free agents (presumably, compensation would be in the form of "sandwich round" picks instead). Owners are willing to give on that issue only if "hard slotting" is included in the deal. Clubs are already waiting, in most cases, until after Nov 23 to sign any Type A free agents, when they will know whether arbitration has been offered and thus whether they'll have to give up high draft picks as compensation. If signed before Nov 23, the compensation becomes automatic. With the snag in CBA talks, some of the biggest name free agents may have to wait a bit longer before signing with their new clubs. The current CBA expires on Dec 11, 2011, but a work stoppage is highly unlikely.