In case you did know, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the owners is set to expire on December 19.

That will be good news if it happens.

The reason I haven't written about this sooner is that they have been keeping a very low profile.

It would be welcomed surprise should the two sides reach an agreement before the General Manager's meeting on November 13 -17.

The present agreement wasn't finalized until August 2002, hours before the players went on strike.  It would be in the best interest of the sport to negotiate a contract without a work stoppage taking place.

The 2002 agreement was the first time since 1970 that a contract was agreed upon without a stoppage.  With any luck a new trend has begun.

There has been only one hint to come out the negotiations about the possible new contract.

If that happens it shouldn't matter to the Marlins very much.  It will mainly affect the large money teams.

The signing bonuses of early round draft picks have been bid up so ridiculously high that the Marlins rarely take compensation picks for lost free agents.  Instead they trade them, roughly, a year before their contract expires for a more proven minor league prospect.

Signing our own draft picks have been costly enough without adding others.

Hopefully the article is correct and a new agreement is just around the corner and this potential off-season headache can be put to rest.