SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF / CBS Sports) — Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, the contract that allows MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) to conduct business, expired Wednesday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. MLB owners voted to lock out the players, unanimously according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, and the league announced the decision to lock out the players not long after the official expiration of the CBA.
The lockout marks the league’s first work stoppage since 1994-95. During the lockout, free agents will not be allowed to sign and teams will not be permitted to trade players who are part of the union.
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In announcing the lockout decision, commissioner Rob Manfred released an open letter to fans. It reads in part:
“Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.”
The Major League Baseball Players Association also released a statement in response to the owner lockout.
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Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.