After hours of meetings Monday and Tuesday, Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association were unable to reach an agreement by the deadline the owners put in place to save the start of the regular season.
Following Tuesday’s failed negotiation, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the first week of the regular season, scheduled to begin March 31st, is cancelled.
“The canceled games will not be made up and the players will not be paid,” Manfred says.
While the union and owners have agreed to continue to meet in New York, there were several key issues they didn’t agree on including luxury taxes, minimum salaries, arbitration amounts plus some key on-field issues like playoff teams, shifting the infield and more.
According to those with knowledge of the negotiations, the owners did use the phrase “best-and-final offer”. The union officially rejected that offer.
The Player’s Association released a statement following the failed negotiation Tuesday.
“Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have cancelled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised.”
They went on to say this is a “decades-long attempt by owners to break our player fraternity.”
Several fans were at the meetings in Jupiter, Florida and loudly were chanting, “We want baseball”.
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While Spring Training games were postponed through March 8th, this is the first blow to the games that count. Manfred has said he and his group of owners “will regroup and determine the best course of action.”