Manfred expects new CBA by December deadline

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes a new collective bargaining agreement is on the horizon.

The current deal is set to expire Dec. 1, but Manfred is optimistic a deal will be struck before the deadline.

"Look, I think we're going to make a deal before the expiration of the agreement," Manfred said at the annual GM meetings, according to MLB.com's Richard Justice. "I remain optimistic that we'll be able to do that. Collective bargaining is one of those processes where it's difficult to predict with certainty when things are going to take place.

"I think what I've said is there are a couple of natural deadlines. One is the beginning of free agency, the other obviously is the expiration date. We missed deadline one, so we're looking at deadline two."

The commissioner instructed general managers and their staffs to operate under the current deal until a new one is formed.

"I think there's been a lot of public comment to the effect that the absence of an agreement creates a certain amount of uncertainty," Manfred said. "As we've learned the last couple of days, markets don't like uncertainty. It's just something we have to deal with.

"It's a natural product of the expiration date that we've always had in this agreement during the middle of the offseason. I think the union understands that as well."