MLB
MLB cancels more spring games as lockout continues
MLB has cancelled three more days of spring training as the league and the Players’ Association continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are still in talks in an attempt to put an end to the owner-initiated lockout, and the league has announced that three more days of spring training games will be cancelled.
The earliest date for a possible spring exhibition game to be held has been pushed back further and is now March 8. The games were originally planned to begin on Feb. 26, then postponed for approximately a week to March 5.
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Looming deadline
The two sides have met every day this week to try and hammer out the collective bargaining agreement by Monday, Feb. 28.
The league had emphasized that the new MLB calendar depends on finalizing a CBA. They have stressed that regular season games will be cancelled, not just postponed, and players will not receive a salary for any games they may have missed if the Monday deadline is not complied with.
MLB chief shows up for first time
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was present for the first time since negotiations began for part of the talks, but did not participate in the deliberations.
The commissioner however was reported to have spoken with union head Tony Clark about what the two parties could do to speed up the process of coming to an agreement and avoid having to cancel Opening Day set for March 31.
The MLB and MLBPA did make some headway in one regard, and that’s the matter of draft order. The two sides are reportedly on the verge of finalizing the nitty gritty of a new draft lottery system.