After the second longest labor stoppage in Major League Baseball history, we can once again say, "Play ball!"
The MLB owners and MLB Player's Association were able to reach a tentative deal Thursday that returns baseball to the field instead of the negotiating table. There will still need to be a vote on the deal by both sides which is said to be a formality at this point. The player's voted 26-12 in favor of the latest offer from the owners.
Rob Manfred said he needs 23 of 30 votes to approve, which will only be a formality on the owner's side.
Players can begin reporting to spring training as soon as tomorrow.
Despite cancelling the first couple of weeks of the regular season, the agreement preserves the 162 game schedule albeit with some modifications.
According to reports, spring training games will start on either March 17 or 18, with the regular season starting a week late, April 7. There will be some scheduled doubleheaders during the season to make up some of the first week of games that are going to be missed, and the season will be extended three days. That means the last regular season games will be Wednesday, October 5.
On Thursday morning, Twins President and CEO Dave St. Peter shared that the team was ready to proceed with the season whenever a deal was struck.
"When it is time to play ball, we will be ready. Ready to celebrate our fans and welcome new ones; ready to honor memories and create new magic moments; ready to partner with you to bring our community and region back together through the shared joy of Twins Baseball."
Major League Baseball and its locked-out players agreed Thursday to negotiate on an international amateur draft, paving the way for renewed economic talks.
Under an agreement reached on the 99th day of a lockout that has delayed the season, the sides agreed to a July 25 deadline to establish an international draft that would start in 2024.
Talks aimed at ending the lockout bogged down on the draft issue Wednesday, and baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled 93 more games, raising the total to 184. He said opening day, originally scheduled for March 31, would be no earlier than April 14.
The sides narrowed many economic differences to a small margin, when the international draft obstacle caused MLB to refuse to counter the union’s latest overall proposal.
Under the deal reached Thursday, if a negotiated agreement on a draft is reached by July 25, direct amateur draft-pick compensation would be removed for free agents starting with the 2022-23 offseason.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.