MLB LOCKOUT
The league cancels the first two series of the season as players, owners remain at stalemate.
BY DANIELLE ALLENTUCK The Denver Gazette
With no deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, MLB has canceled opening day and the first two series of the regular season, commissioner Rob Manfred announced.
These games will not be made up, and Manfred said their “position” is that players will not be paid for the missed games.
For the Rockies, this means they will not travel to Los Angeles and San Diego to start the season. If more games aren’t canceled — and that’s a big if — the Rockies will open their season at home on April 8 against the Dodgers.
“Our committee of club representatives committed to the process,” Manfred said in a press conference from Jupiter, Florida. “They offered compromise after compromise and hung in past the deadline to make sure we exhausted every possibility of reaching an agreement before the cancellation of games. ... the most unfortunate thing, that agreement, the one we offered to our players, offered huge benefits for our fans and to our players.”
The MLBPA responded, saying in a statement that “from the beginning of these negotiations, Players’ objectives have been consistent — to promote competition, provide fair compensation for young players, and to uphold the integrity of our market system. Against the back drop of growing revenues and record profits, we are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement. .... We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for Players, fans and everyone who loves our game.”
MLB originally saiid Monday was the deadline before they would start striking games off the schedule, but meetings between the players association and MLB went well into the night. They granted an extension, citing the desire to build on their progress, and set 3 p.m. MT Tuesday as the new deadline.
With about two hours to go until their self-imposed deadline, MLB gave the union what they called their final offer. It was significantly off what the players had hoped for — specifically the CBT thresholds and the pre-arbitration bonuses — prompting the players’ association to turn it down.
Now, as the clock has struck past that 3 p.m. mark, MLB has followed through on their threat.
After the owners locked out the players at the end of November, the two sides didn’t meet for the next 43 days. Talks picked up steam in the past week, with the union and MLB meeting everyday in Jupiter, Florida at the Cardinals spring training facility. Rockies owner Dick Monfort was one of the leading voices for the owners.
The two sides are expected to walk away, for now, with no more sessions currently scheduled.
This news means that, for the second time in three years, there won’t be a 162 game season. And, for the third straight season, there won’t be a traditional opening day. In 2020, the season started in July without fans because of COVID-19 restrictions. Last year, there was limited attendance, with a second opening day taking place mid-summer when stadiums returned to full capacity.
Spring training, already delayed two weeks, still has no start date but minor league spring training will begin as scheduled on March 6, with their season slated to start on time even if a new deal is not in place.
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2022-03-02T08:00:00.0000000Z
2022-03-02T08:00:00.0000000Z
https://daily.denvergazette.com/article/281981791045296
The Gazette, Colorado Springs