MLB Talks Concerning Lockout Stalled

In one of the craziest off-season’s in recent MLB history, it seems to be far from over.

MLB will begin canceling season games if the Major League Baseball Players Association and the league can’t come to terms on a new collective bargaining deal by Feb. 28. Additionally, MLB has come out and said if games are to be canceled, they would not be made up and players would not get payed their full-season salary. Jesse Rogers of ABC had this to say regarding the salary dispute.

Spring Training

The first week of spring training games have been canceled and no players have reported to camp.  Talks of gaining a new collective bargaining agreement have not made any traction but further meetings are scheduled.

Motive Behind Lockout

Minimum salary for younger players has been a main point for the MLBPA.  The league has come out and said it will raise the minimum salary by $10,000, making the minimum $640,000 in 2022. To add, it would also increase by $10,000 each year of the deal. The players and players’ agents have come out and said they target the minimum to be at least $700,000. Rogers discussed the lone proposal the league has made to the players regarding salary.

Season Implications

With the beginning of spring training already canceled and players still showing no sign of returning, the start of the season is in jeopardy. MLB will accordingly update how long games will be canceled due to ticket sales.

MLB has already announced games will begin to be canceled if an agreement is not reached by the deadline. Players’ contracts will not be fully payed out in this scenario and will adjust according to the games played.

What’s Next

The MLBPA and the league have announced they will and have met everyday this week leading up to a potential agreement. An agreement is still in the early stages and talks are minimal.

If regular season games are canceled, it would be the first time games were impeded due to a work stoppage in MLB since 1995.