Game On: Major League Baseball, Players’ Union Reach Deal
JUPITER, Fla. — Major League Baseball and the players’ union reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement on Thursday, paving the way for the 2022 regular season to begin on April 7.
The proposed five-year deal ends the second-longest work stoppage in league history.
The union’s executive committee voted 26 to 12 in favor of approving. The deal is pending club owner ratification, which means 23 of the 30 owners still have to vote yes before the agreement is considered ratified.
Spring training camps are expected to open on Sunday.
The deal came to fruition a day after MLB postponed opening day until April 14 in the absence of a new agreement and announced that each team’s first four series were removed from the schedule.
However, as part of Thursday’s agreement, a full 162-game schedule will be played, and the four series that were previously removed from the calendar will be rescheduled.
The makeup games that came as a result of the delay will be rescheduled as nine-inning doubleheaders.
The new agreement is expected to include increased minimum player salaries, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool to reward the top young players in the game, a raise in competitive balance tax thresholds, the introduction of a universal designated hitter, limits on the number of times a player can be optioned in a season and a 12-team postseason.
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