After months of painful negotiations and a delayed schedule for the 2022 season, MLB is officially back in business.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the MLBPA and the league have agreed to a new deal that will soon become official. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that the player’s vote was 26-12 in favor of the new deal sent over by the league. The professional baseball lockout is finally over with Opening Day scheduled for April 7th and spring training games starting next week.
BREAKING: Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal, sources tell ESPN. While it still needs to be ratified by both parties, that is expected to be a formality, and when it is:
Baseball is back.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
Several new details were agreed to in negotiations, including a ban on shifts and the implementation of a pitch clock in the near future. MLB will also implement a universal designated hitter this season.
ESPN’s Jessie Rogers reports that regular extra-inning rules will be reinstated and that nine-inning doubleheaders will be used to make sure the 2022 season is 162 games long. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic laid out the changes in the pre-arbitration pool and minimum salaries that MLB included in its final offer.
Not only does the end of the lockout mean that baseball will officially return but free agency will resume. The pre-lockout offseason saw lots of big players changing teams and several high-profile players like Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant are still available.
The league had to go through two rounds of canceling games while the negotiations went on. Now, baseball is finally back in action.
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