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Major League Baseball’s 2022 regular season has officially been postponed, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday.
The first two series of the season, which were set to begin March 31, have been canceled after the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) could not settle on a collective bargaining agreement before the MLB’s self-imposed deadline of Tuesday at 5 p.m., according toThe New York Times.
Though they “plan to continue negotiations,” an agreement won’t be settled until Thursday at the earliest as the MLBPA has gone back to New York, Manfred said.
“The clubs and our owners fully understand just how important it is to our millions of fans that we get the game on the field as soon as possible. To that end, we want to bargain and we want an agreement with the players association as quickly as possible,” Manfred concluded.
The cancelled games come after 16 ½ hours of negotiations Monday, bringing the number of games scheduled for the season from 162 to a max of 156,ESPNreports.
The MLBPA and MLB did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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PerCBS Sports, Tuesday also marks three months since the league’s lockout —the first since 1990— began.
“Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have cancelled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised,” the MLBPA said in a statement, according to CBS Sports.
The statement continued: “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 backdrop of growing revenues and record profits, we are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement.”
Until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, various offseason activities are prohibited such as engaging in transactions and workouts at team facilities. Communications between team officials and players are barred in general.
source: people.com
