Report: MLB owners, player’s union reach tentative agreement to end baseball lockout
After 98 days of waiting and a dizzying exchange of convoluted proposals jammed into a few days of artificial deadlines, Major League Baseball and its Players’ Association reached a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday, reopening roster activity and pushing the game toward a looming, unprecedented frenzy of activity.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the pending agreement. Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the player vote was 26-12 in favor; all eight members of the Players’ Association’s executive committee voted against the agreement, as well as four teams, including the Cardinals. A simple majority was necessary for approval.
From an on-field perspective, the most visible change to fans of the National League will likely be the adoption of the designated hitter on a full-time basis. The agreement also includes improvements to the minimum salaries paid to players as well as a bonus pool which will act to supplement the salaries of young players whose performance may well outstrip their earnings.
Major League Baseball also added one team to the postseason in each league, expanding the field to a total of 12.
The timing of the agreement will allow the full 162-game schedule to be played, with the first two series of the season set to be made up as a three game series after the season’s previously scheduled conclusion and two doubleheaders to be played at a time to be determined.
Those doubleheaders will consist of games which are nine innings long, as the rule changes implemented starting with the 2020 season have been eliminated. Seven inning doubleheader games revert back to the standard nine innings, and the tie breaking free runner on second base in extra innings will no longer be utilized.
Players are expected to report to team facilities as early as this weekend with spring training games taking place next week. With a minimum four weeks of ramp up necessary before the season can begin, the St. Louis Cardinals are now expected to open the season at home, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, on April 7.
Roster activity may be able to begin as quickly as Thursday evening, pending full ratification of the agreement. Salary arbitration hearings are yet to be scheduled, though the hearings are expected to take place over the season’s early months. The annual Rule 5 draft was suspended for one year, according to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic.
The only major addition made by the Cardinals before the commencement of the lockout was the signing of starting pitcher Steven Matz. Further additions of a right-handed setup reliever and perhaps a left-handed bat to fortify the bench and the designated hitter’s spot in the lineup are still expected.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 2:42 PM.
