By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Major League Baseball had its Collective Bargaining Agreement end at midnight. This is their first work stoppage since 1994 that led into 1995.
No games are impacted at this time. However, all signings and trades have been halted.
“This hard but important step does not necessarily mean games will be canceled,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We are taking this step now because it accelerates the urgency for an agreement with as much runway as possible to avoid doing damage to the 2022 season.
“Delaying this process further would only put Spring Training, Opening Day, and the rest of the season further at risk – and we cannot allow an expired agreement to again cause an in-season strike and a missed World Series like we experienced in 1994.”
The two sides have been working on an agreement. However, earlier on Wednesday, this seemed like the logical situation when sides broke off negotiations.
The Major League Baseball Player’s Association is not pleased with the lockout.
“(The lockout) was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not just players but the game and industry as a whole,” the union’s statement reads in part. “These tactics are not new. We have been here before, and players have risen to the occasion time and again — guided by a solidarity that has been forged over generations. We will do so again.”
© 2007-2024 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
