Though many went to bed on Monday night/early Tuesday morning with some optimism that the Major League Baseball season would start on time, it appears that there will not be an agreement. The sides agreed about 3:00 a.m. to extend the MLB-imposed deadline of February 28 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. With that deadline upon both parties, it appears there will not be a deal.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that MLB presented an offer that was flatly rejected:
BREAKING: MLBPA player leaders agreed unanimously not to accept MLB's final proposal, and there will be no deal on a new collective-bargaining agreement before MLB's 5 p.m. ET deadline, sources tell ESPN.
MLB has threatened to cancel its March 31 Opening Day without a new deal. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 1, 2022
Right now Opening Day being canceled is just that, a "threat", though it's hard to conceive that a deal will be done in time for baseball.
Both sides estimate that about four weeks of Spring Training would be necessary for players to adequately prepare for the new season. After shutting down Spring Training in 2020, players had about three weeks to prepare. It was deemed insufficient.
The MLBPA has announced they will hold a press conference at at time to be determined on Tuesday evening.
