MLB Players Cry Foul After League Owners Push Opening Day To Mid-April Amid Lockout
Major League Baseball’s owners said today that Opening Day has been pushed to April 14, and the locked-out players hit back by calling that “completely unnecessary.”
The move comes nine days after contract talks between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association fell apart, and the league scrapped the first two series of the 2022 season. Opening Day had been set for March 31.
In a statement issued today, Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said:
“In a last-ditch effort to preserve a 162-game season, this week we have made good-faith proposals that address the specific concerns voiced by the MLBPA and would have allowed the players to return to the field immediately. The Clubs went to extraordinary lengths to meet the substantial demands of the MLBPA. On the key economic issues that have posed stumbling blocks, the Clubs proposed ways to bridge gaps to preserve a full schedule. Regrettably, after our second late-night bargaining session in a week, we remain without a deal.
“Because of the logistical realities of the calendar, another two series are being removed from the schedule, meaning that Opening Day is postponed until April 14th. We worked hard to reach an agreement and offered a fair deal with significant improvements for the players and our fans. I am saddened by this situation’s continued impact on our game and all those who are a part of it, especially our loyal fans.
“We have the utmost respect for our players and hope they will ultimately choose to accept the fair agreement they have been offered.”
Not long after that, the Players Association countered with a statement of its own:
“The owners’ decision to cancel additional games is completely unnecessary. After making a set of comprehensive proposals to the league earlier this afternoon, and being told substantive responses were forthcoming, Players have yet to hear back.
“Players want to play, and we cannot wait to get back on the field for the best fans in the world. Our top priority remains the finalization of a fair contract for all Players, and we will continue negotiations toward that end.”
The two sides have been at loggerheads over what always was expected to be tough negotiations on a new deal, and the league locked out players pre-emptively December 2 — in what it said was an attempt to finalize a new CBA before the regular season’s scheduled March 31 start.
Some major-league issues are in play in the new contract, including expanding the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams, adding the designated hitter to the National League, increasing minimum salaries, creating a bonus pool for pre-arbitration players and making adjustments to the luxury tax.
The postponement keeps baseball in limbo, with clubs unable to sign free agents without a deal and teams not able to train together. The league has said spring training can start “within days” of a CBA being signed.
Some fifteen games had been set for Opening Day on March 31, including the Los Angeles Dodgers’ home opener and the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves opening at Miami.
Patrick Hipes contributed to this report.
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