With Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement set to expire at midnight Dec. 1, the absence of highly charged dialogue was a sign that an agreement would be reached without any threat of a dreaded work stoppage.
That's not to say it would be easy. As the technical deadline approached, there was a veiled threat that clubs would boycott the Winter Meetings, scheduled to begin at the National Harbor in Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, if significant progress wasn't made before then. Many of the issues could probably be listed as "throwaways" by one side or the other as the deadline approached -- but they often can be of great significance down the road.
One such item is the option rule. Under the expiring CBA, a player has three minor league options once he has been placed on the 40-man roster. The kicker is an option can be used an unlimited number of times within one season, making it probably the most abused rule from a player's standpoint, but one that generally gets overlooked.
