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As talks continue on throughout Monday, the MLB and MLBPA must come to an agreement if both parties want the season to start by March 31. Monday marks the eighth day of talks between the two, yet a deal may still not happen.
Good morning from Jupiter, Fla. where it’s a picture perfect day for a spring game. If only. Talks between MLB and the MLBPA resume at 10 EST. If there’s no deal, there’s no baseball on Match 31, per the league’s deadline. Will update throughout the day and on SportsCenter.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 28, 2022
So how did we get here?
The two sides are firm in their positions, not budging until they get what they want. While the players fight to better their living conditions and the game they love, the owners are simply looking for how they can better their margins and maximize profits.
With no season, the players and team staff will suffer most, losing salary if games are not played. With their livelihoods on the line, the players are between a rock and a hard place. Agree to a bad deal, and the owners will continue to flex their power over them. At the same time, they need to put food on the table for their families.
This, to me, is the most important part of the entire mess baseball finds itself in. It's something that exists in all sports and something all fans should recognize.
The players are the game.
Here's the rest of the piece, too: https://t.co/5WXA1tCHSl pic.twitter.com/4akolxFHX8
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 28, 2022
The players want to chop down the six-year period it takes for them to reach free agency, which was swiftly denied by the owners.
According to Bob Nightengale, the MLB and MLBPA only met for 23 minutes, just one day before the deadline was set to cancel games. As the clock ticks down, the chances of an agreement are slim.
On Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan did not hold back about the possible delay of the season.
“Major League Baseball is in a crisis of its own making, a self-inflicted wound borne of equal parts hubris, short-sightedness and stubbornness from a class of owners who run the teams and seemingly have designs on running the game into the ground.”
With talks ongoing, we will find out the outcome of the meetings as the day goes on. For everyone’s sake, let us hope that baseball will be played on March 31.
