The Major League Baseball lockout ended with a new collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players.
Summary
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association approved a new collective bargaining agreement to end the 99-day lockout. Owners ratified the deal 30-0 and the union approved it 26-12.
- Opening Day is set for April 7, one week later than planned. The season will be extended three days for doubleheaders to make up for games scheduled for March 31-April 6.
- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and head of the players union Tony Clark both praised the new CBA. Manfred said, “There’s only one win: That’s get an agreement, and we got one.”
- The new CBA includes several rule changes. Both leagues will have the designated hitter, making a pandemic season change permanent. Starting in 2023, owners may ban the defensive shift and institute a pitch clock. The rule putting a runner on second base in extra innings is gone.
- The league will now have an expanded 12-team postseason, a compromise between the 10-team status quo and the 14-team postseason requested by owners.
- MLB initiated what it called a “defensive lockout” in December and the league and the players began negotiations with sharp differences on compensation, rules, and league structure.
- The New York Times wrote that if the lockout makes baseball better, it will have been worth it as both the owners and players made gains and avoided losses.
- The Washington Post broke down the best free agents still available now that the lockout is over.
- The Wall Street Journal described the deal as a win for both the league and players, and covered the new luxury tax system in greater detail.
- ESPN called the deal a win for the owners, as owners got an expanded postseason, more leeway to change on-the-field rules and the game’s economic structure was preserved.
- The Athletic dug into six important aspects of the deal and how it will change baseball in the future, including the luxury tax and expanded playoffs.
- Yahoo! Sports reminded readers where things stood at the end of last season as well as the current status of some of the league’s free agents and ownership questions.
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© Dominic Moore, 2022
