MLB Lockout Finally Ends!

For those of you who don’t know, a lockout is the exclusion of employees by their employer from their place of work until certain terms are agreed to. Basically, it is the opposite of a workers’ strike: instead of workers refusing to work, the owners are refusing to let them work. In this case, MLB owners/executives (led by commissioner Rob Manfred) have refused to let the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), which includes all players, coaches, managers, and athletic trainers involved in the league, participate in any practices or games.

But why did the MLB owners do this? Well, leading up to December 2, the day the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners and the MLBPA expired, the MLBPA negotiated with the owners and demanded new economic conditions in the next agreement. These conditions included payment for second-tier and third-tier free agents, higher wages for younger players, less time required in the low-paying minor leagues, and more. However, none of these talks reached a solid conclusion. So, when December 2 came around, Manfred and the owners decided to have a lockout in order to push the union into settling on an agreement more favorable to them.

As the lockout went on, several proposals were discussed on January 13, January 24, and February 1 with no final agreement. On February 3, the owners requested the help of a federal mediator to resolve the dispute, however, the MLBPA declined because they wanted to keep the negotiations private and time-efficient, especially with the beginning of the spring season coming up. “The clearest path to a fair and timely agreement is to get back to the table,” said executive director of the MLBPA Tony Clark.

Negotiations became more frequent in late February. A variety of ideas were bantered about, including arbitration eligibility for more players, a higher minimum salary of $720,000, draft-pick compensation, and more. However, there was still no solution by March 1, when Manfred decided to cancel the first two regular season series. “I had hoped against hope I wouldn't have to have this press conference where I am going to cancel some regular season games,” said Manfred. “We worked hard to avoid an outcome that's bad for our fans, bad for our players, and bad for our clubs. Our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party.”

Fortunately, things would take a turn for the better in the coming days. Recognizing what a canceled season would do to both parties, negotiations accelerated even more. Real progress was being made– they settled on a competitive balance tax of $230 million, a minimum salary of $700,000, a universal designated hitter, a longer 12-team postseason, and a 20-round amateur draft. Finally, on March 10, they reached a final collective bargaining agreement that summed up all of these changes. These terms were agreed to by both parties and put into effect immediately. The lockout was officially over!

As soon as the lockout ended, players took to the field for spring training more excited than ever. Not only were they enjoying the benefits of the new agreement, but they were also getting a full 162-game season despite the two-week postponement. Some players shared their thoughts about the start of the season on social media.