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Earth-shattering? Not quite, but new agreement generating buzz

Under the new labor agreement, huge signing bonuses such as the one Yoan Moncada received are a thing of the past. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The negotiations on the new labor deal aren’t completely finished, and not every detail has emerged. But there were no enormous shifts in principle in the labor negotiations, no foundation-altering changes, which, for some in the industry, only reinforced surprise that the two sides went down to the wire. The most important thing is that it got done, as Jayson Stark wrote.

But the tweaks and adjustments generated a ton of conversation in the industry Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, with officials, players and agents calling and texting and swapping thoughts.

1. The initial perception is that management got exactly what it wanted in the international market, even if the headline is different. Players didn’t like the idea of the international draft, because they believe it limits the opportunities and leverage for players in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and others. But the hard cap in spending will effectively do the same thing for the owners as the draft-slotting system in the domestic draft: contain costs.