BenFred: MLB players must regain leverage before next CBA negotiations

Storm clouds gather over Busch Stadium on Tuesday night shortly before the scheduled start of the Cardinals-Cleveland game. Weather forced a delay of the game. Photo by Derrick Goold.What will the renters in those fast approaching and fancy Ballpark Village apartments watch from their high-rise if there is no 2022 baseball season?

A second consecutive sluggish free-agent market is increasing tension between team owners, players and the people who represent the two sides.

Players have plenty of reasons to feel chapped. Despite what front offices have come to believe, the players are the most important part of the game. That game is generating more money than ever before. Yet players are not…