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The latest on the MLB lockout and whether the season will start on time
"It will take a dramatic turn of events this weekend to get an agreement by Monday."
With Opening Day tentatively slated for March 31, it’s still entirely unclear as of Saturday morning whether or not the Major League Baseball season will begin on time.
Fans may have an answer to that question very soon, however, and they may not like it.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “progress was minimal” at recent meetings. He noted that MLB and MLBPA have until Monday to get a new labor deal. If they don’t, regular-season games will be canceled.
“They’ve had four days to move and there’s been next to nothing,” Passan reported Thursday. “Just incremental. And that’s that.”
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported Thursday that the union moved a little toward the league on draft order and service time manipulation, but the day ended early because the sides had nothing more to discuss. He then reported Friday that “the sides made progress” on the draft but that there’s “still a ton of work to do.”
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It’s possible Spring Training games could start March 8, but a lot has to happen before then to put that plan in action.
“The new calendar is contingent on MLB and the MLBPA coming to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement by a league-imposed deadline on Monday,” Rogers wrote. “Without an agreement, additional spring games will be canceled as will regular-season games, according to a league spokesperson.”
While the situation is bleak overall, it’s not totally hopeless. Rogers reported that one source said Friday’s talks had a “better vibe” than Thursday’s talks and believes some “long-awaited momentum” could possibly be on the horizon.
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Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci noted that the lockout has lasted 86 days and has yielded “just about as many disagreements.” Those disagreements include the competitive balance tax, whether or not issues such as arbitration eligibility and revenue sharing are even negotiable, whether or not to use a federal mediator, and whether or not Monday, Feb. 28, is a true deadline.
“The owners insist that it is,” Verducci said. “They say without an agreement by Monday, that Opening Day, scheduled for March 31, is lost. The players believe it’s not a hard deadline. On this, they can agree. It will take a dramatic turn of events this weekend to get an agreement by Monday.”
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