With MLB and the MLB Players Association reportedly coming to a tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, the question on everyone's mind — when will the 2022 MLB season start? — finally looks to have an answer.
After reports of progress this week, MLB and the MLBPA reportedly agreed to a new CBA on Thursday, thus ending the lockout imposed by the owners on Dec. 2. According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the two sides are targeting an April 7 start date. If that occurs, it would be a week past the original start date of March 31.
Players can report to spring-training camps as early as tomorrow. Opening Day is expected to be April 7, as @JesseRogersESPN first reported. Transactions unfreeze upon ratification, which is expected to come as early as today, meaning free agents can sign and trades can occur.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
The news comes a day after MLB announced it would be removing a second week of games from the schedule, but that no longer appears to be the case. Teams are expected to play full 162-game seasons with doubleheaders added to fill out the calendar.
Sporting News is continuing to track the latest news on the lockout that kept MLB players off the field in 2022. For previous updates, see SN's tracker covering developments up to the first cancellation.
MORE: Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman lead list of MLB's 35 best post-lockout free agents
MLB lockout news and updates
March 11: MLB has unveiled the revised Grapefruit League and Cactus League schedules. Spring training games in Florida and Arizona will begin March 17 and conclude April 6, with teams scheduled to play between 15 and 18 games. Given the wider separation of spring training sites in Florida, Grapefruit League teams are grouped into geographic pods to help ease travel times.
March 10: Bob Nightengale reports that 16 teams will play their Opening Day on April 7 while 14 will have theirs on April 8. The first game on the schedule in 2022 will be a Red Sox-Yankees clash at Yankee Stadium.
March 10: The owners have, officially, ended the lockout by a 30-0 vote, via MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Free agency will open as soon as the lockout ends at 7 p.m. ET, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
March 10: MLB owners are expected to ratify the agreement on a 6 p.m. ET conference call, according to multiple reports. Free agency would begin immediately afterward.
March 10: The players voted 26-12 to accept the deal. All eight executive subcommittee members voted against it, but reps from 26 of the 30 teams voted to accept it. The four teams opposed, according to Ken Rosenthal: the Yankees, Mets, Astros and Cardinals.
Executive subcommittee voted 8-0 against deal and teams voted 26-4 in favor, sources tell @TheAthletic. Dissenting teams were NYM, NYY, HOU, STL. First with breakdown: @JonHeyman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 10, 2022
March 10: MLB and the MLPA tentatively agree to a new CBA, pending ratification. Targeted start date is April 7, with free agency beginning as early as Thursday night.
Final vote from the eight on the executive subcommittee and 30 player reps, per sources: 26-12 in favor of the new labor agreement.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
March 10: MLB and the MLBPA agree to set July 25 as the deal to reach an agreement on the international draft. International draft would reportedly begin in 2024, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. If they reach a deal, the qualifying offer will be gone. If they don't, the international system will not change and the qualifying offer will return.
MLB and the MLBPA agreed that they have until July 25 to reach a deal on an international draft that would start in 2024, a source tells ESPN. If a deal is reached, the qualifying offer will vanish. If no deal, the QO will return and the international system will remain the same.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
March 9: MLB removes two more series from the schedule, pushing start date to April 14. MLBPA responds.
Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/XLnAvwkFpm
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 10, 2022
March 9: MLB brings three offers to table on international draft: Agree to the CBA with no draft and keep the qualifying offer, institute the international draft and remove the qualifying offer, or table the issue until 2024. The MLBPA rejects these offers and instead makes a counter-proposal.
The MLBPA rejected the league's three offers on an international draft resolution and presented its own, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2022
The proposal: Remove qualifying offer this year. If parties can't agree to int'll draft by Nov. 15, QO returns and revert to previous int'l system.
March 9: The Athletic's Evan Drellich reports that a major sticking point in bargaining is the elimination of the qualifying offer. MLB proposed such an elimination, but wants an international draft, which Ken Rosenthal describes as a "non-starter" for Latin American players.
NEW YORK — The most significant issue remaining in talks, although not the only, is said to be direct draft pick compensation, the elimination of the qualifying offer. The players want it, MLB has proposed it — but MLB wants the international draft, which is no small matter/give.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 9, 2022
March 8: MLB proposes luxury tax thresholds starting at $230 million up to $242 million. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, players remain hesitant due to the competitive balance tax. Other details include service time technicalities, draft rebalancing, and waiver ceiling changes.
Some other details of MLB proposal:
• Players can be optioned max 5 times before being exposed to waivers
• Small markets can pick in draft lottery for two straight years before sliding to 10th pick.
• Large markets can pick only one year in lottery before going to 10th
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 9, 2022
March 7: MLB sets deadline of Tuesday (March 9) to reach an agreement before another week of games gets canceled.
Tuesday marks another seminal day in baseball labor talks, sources tell ESPN. With a deal, a 162-game season is back and players report Friday. Without one, MLB cancels another week of games and a future deal becomes far more complicated.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 8, 2022
News at ESPN: https://t.co/xqi8ZCkC0f
