After nearly 100 days, baseball is back. MLB and the MLBPA reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal Thursday afternoon that will bring an end to the MLB lockout.
The owner-imposed lockout began on Dec. 2 and spanned 99 days before the deal was reached. The players have already agreed to the terms of the new CBA by a vote of 26-4. It's worth noting that the separate MLBPA executive subcommittee voted 8-0 against it, but the player representatives overruled them in this vote.
FAGAN: 35 best free agents available with MLB lockout over
Next up, the owners have to ratify the terms of the new CBA. That is expected to happen around 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Once that occurs, the lockout will end and free agency will begin immediately. Spring training will begin shortly thereafter while Opening Day is set for April 7. So, baseball fans will have to wait less than a month for meaningful games to begin and just days before exhibition contests start.
MORE: What to know about MLB schedule with lockout tentatively over
After a long offseason that involved a lot of patience, MLB players are excited that baseball is officially returning. Many, including All-Stars Alex Bregman, Andrew McCutchen and Joc Pederson, took to Twitter to celebrate the good news and get pumped for the 2022 MLB season.
Meanwhile, other players cracked jokes about the rapid start to free agency and the return of their profile pics to Twitter, which numerous MLB players had changed to faceless avatars amid the lockout.
Below is a look at the best reactions from MLB players to the return of baseball.
See y’all soon ✈️✈️
— Alex Bregman (@ABREG_1) March 10, 2022
Welp, where am I signing? 😂😅
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) March 10, 2022
So happy baseball is back
— Joc Pederson (@yungjoc650) March 10, 2022
Baseball is back! pic.twitter.com/GD38kEXdei
— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) March 10, 2022
Mood: extremely delightful😇 pic.twitter.com/JUySFVcOVa
— Jazz Chisholm Jr (@j_chisholm3) March 10, 2022
Mood pic.twitter.com/zniq1FEeRo
— Triston 🌎 McKenzie (@T_eazy24) March 10, 2022
— Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) March 10, 2022
Time to go.
— Trevor “IamTrevorMay” May (@IamTrevorMay) March 10, 2022
Rays fans are we ready!?! Baseball is back and I couldn’t be more excited to see y’all! LETSSS GOOO!! @RaysBaseball pic.twitter.com/l58r2M1FCD
— Maverick Phillips (@Brett_Phillips8) March 10, 2022
I was really looking forward to dressing up for the 100th day of the lockout :(
— Trevor Williams (@MeLlamoTrevor) March 10, 2022
Let’s goooooooooo! #BaseballIsBack
— Randal Grichuk (@RGrich15) March 10, 2022
See you soon fans👋 pic.twitter.com/4v0tNhF66z
— Carson Kelly (@carskelly) March 10, 2022
BASEBALL IS BACK pic.twitter.com/9crjT2HeF7
— jp crawford (@jp_crawford) March 10, 2022
#NewProfilePic IVE GOT A FACE AGAIN!! pic.twitter.com/GwaiXRU649
— Alex Wood (@Awood45) March 10, 2022
Mood pic.twitter.com/493FCvQKeU
— Tyler Stephenson (@Tyler_Step22) March 10, 2022