MLB Lockout to Continue Possibly Into Spring Training
On Thursday, January 13, the MLB Players’ Association and the owners met in hope of making progress on a new agreement.
The MLB is currently in a lockout, where players cannot interact with any organization until a new collective bargaining agreement is signed. The work stoppage began on December 2, so it has been six weeks without baseball.
The meeting on Thursday, just like the first meeting that took place weeks ago, ended shortly and on a bad note, with the MLBPA refusing to budge. There was no progress made, as the players stormed out shortly after the start of the meeting.
The big concern here is Spring Training: players are due to report to camp in four weeks, but this is not looking likely. With Spring Training probably delayed unless something radically changes, Opening Day on March 31 will most likely be delayed, too.
In my eyes, the only way I see an agreement getting done is if the owners offer more, such as a universal DH in the National League, a higher starting salary for both major and minor leagues, and expanded playoffs. The MLBPA does not seem to be budging, so it is up to the owners now to make the players happy.
