The lockout is officially over.
After almost 100 days of the MLB lockout, MLB-MLBPA have agreed on a new CBA which will end the lockout immediately. Players will report to Spring Training starting tomorrow and games will resume at the end of next week. Representatives for both sides met in New York the last three days, working through another league-imposed deadline that on Wednesday that saw the cancelation of another week of regular season games. But instead, there will be a full 162-game schedule, just modified a bit.
Commissioner Rob Manfred previously announced the cancelation of two weeks of the 2022 regular season, but it appears a 162-game season will still be played. MLB has yet to make an announcement, but Opening Day is set for April 7, per Bowden.
Throughout the process, the union sought to raise the league minimum and the Competitive Balance Tax thresholds; implement a centralized bonus pool for pre-arbitration players that would be based on performance; and introduce some measures that would curb anti-competitive behavior, like tanking. The owners, for their part, prioritized an expanded postseason, an international draft, and the power to make rule changes, including, potentially, installing a pitch clock and larger bases, as well as restricting defensive positioning.
The season is back and we get baseball back.
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