JUPITER, Fla. — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that the league has canceled opening day after MLBPA's unanimously rejected the owners' “best and final” offer before a self-imposed 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, Manfred said the first two series of the season were also canceled which will now see the schedule go from 162 games to likely 156 games at most.
According to multiple reports, the MLBPA's unanimously rejected the owners' “best and final” offer before a self-imposed 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
The players have now officially voted down the MLB” best and final” offer. No deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 1, 2022
BREAKING: MLBPA player leaders agreed unanimously not to accept MLB's final proposal, and there will be no deal on a new collective-bargaining agreement before MLB's 5 p.m. ET deadline, sources tell ESPN.
MLB has threatened to cancel its March 31 Opening Day without a new deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 1, 2022
After making progress during 16 1/2 hours of bargaining Monday, the sides exchanged new offers Tuesday and remained far apart.
According to the AP, the league's final proposal, which was delivered before 4 p.m. ET on Monday included:
- MLB proposed to increase the offer for a new bonus pool for pre-arbitration players from $25 million to $30 million. The union wanted to begin with $85 million in the pool and go up by $5 million each year.
- MLB wanted to raise the luxury tax threshold from $210 million to $220 million in each of the next three seasons, $224 million in 2025, and $230 in 2026. Players wanted $238 million this year, $244 million in 2023, $250 million in 2024, $256 million in 2025, and $263 in 2026.
- MLB proposed raising the minimum salary from $570,500 to $700,000 this year. The union asked for $725,000 this year, $745,000 in 2023, and $765,000 in 2024.
Players have been locked out of MLB facilities since Dec. 2, when a collective bargaining agreement between players and owners expired. Both sides did not meet until Jan. 13, when owners gave their first offer.
Players and owners have been at odds over several key issues, including luxury tax thresholds for teams with high player salaries, a potential rule that would require teams to spend a certain amount each year on player salaries, arbitration eligibility and potential changes to league revenue sharing among teams.
The current lockout marks the first MLB work stoppage since 1994, when a player strike canceled the World Series and extended into the first few weeks of the 1995 season.
