ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- It's a dark day for baseball. Figuratively and literally.
With the lockout entering its fourth month, MLB owners and players could not successfully negotiate a collecting bargaining agreement by the (extended) deadline of March 1. Therefore, citing the inability to complete spring training in time for Opening Day on March 31, commissioner Rob Manfred canceled the first two series of the season.
The Cardinals, in response, issued the following statement:
But in the opinion of USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale, we could be waiting a while.
"I think, realistically, you have games started by May 1," Nightengale told KMOX's Total Information AM on Wednesday."
The two sides left the Cardinals complex in Jupiter, Fla. on Tuesday evening without a deal. Manfred suggested Thursday would be the earliest negotiations could continue in New York, where his office resides.
Related
"They'll go back and talk Thursday," Nightengale said. "I'm sure MLB will ask again for a federal mediator. I'm sure the union will say no. It's going to be a while."
Nightengale was one of several reporters breaking news from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the spring training home of the Cardinals and Marlins. Intense negotiations on Monday went deep into the night -- and into the wee hours of Tuesday morning -- creating some optimism that an 11th hour agreement could be finalized. It turned out to be false hope, as talks grew contentious and a final proposal from MLB was rejected by the players on Tuesday afternoon.
The sides remain apart on core economic issues, including a pre-arbitration bonus pool, minimum salary and the luxury tax threshold or competitive balance tax (CBT).
"I thought if they couldn't get a deal done before they left Jupiter, it was going to be armageddon," Nightengale told KMOX. "I think they're weeks away from getting anything done now."
Related
