MLB has issued a deadline when it comes to the lockout ending and the 2022 regular season starting on time. The league announced that Feb. 28 is the latest the league and players can reach a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement without delaying Opening Day, which is scheduled for Mar. 31. MLB already delayed spring training which was set to start this week.
An MLB spokesperson told Evan Drellich of The Athletic that regular-season games will be canceled without being made up after Feb. 28 deadline. With this being a lockout, the owners can lift it and spring training can begin immediately but it’s likely not going to happen. On Wednesday, the league proposed adding $10,000 to the minimum salary per year and dropped its request for the minimum salary to be based on service time tiers. The $10,000 increase would make the minimum $640,000. However, the MLB Player’s Association made a prosal for a minimum of $775,000 in 2022 with a $30,000 raise in each of the next four seasons.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“This was an attempt to respond positively to a series of proposals by the MLBPA that have gone backwards,” an MLB spokesman said to MLB.com. “We have five days to reach an agreement so there is still time for a breakthrough. We are here to get a deal done – but they are going to have to start moving towards us rather than away from us to get this done.”
The spokesman also mentioned that the deadline is not going to change. “The deadline is the deadline,” the spokesman said. “After February 28, games will be canceled. Missed games are missed games and salary will not be paid for those games.” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters earlier this month and said one big move can get the ball rolling.
“You’re always one breakthrough away from making an agreement,” Manfred said, per ESPN. “That’s the art of this process. Somebody makes a move. And that’s why we’ll make additional moves on Saturday that creates flexibility on the other side and what seemed like a big gap on this topic or that topic isn’t such a big gap anymore.” MLB chose the Feb. 28 deadline to get camps open by Mar. 3 and have four weeks of spring training.
