MLB shutdown: Rob Manfred cancels regular season matches after MLBPA owners fail to reach deal

After an unofficial deadline extended on Monday, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association were unable to conclude a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday that would end the owner-imposed shutdown. MLB, which set a 5 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday for a deal, made what it called its “final” bid on Tuesday afternoon, which the league unanimously rejected. Shortly thereafter, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced at a press conference that the regular season matches would be cancelled.

Manfred said the first two series of the 2022 season will not run as scheduled. The opening day was originally scheduled for March 31.

“I was hoping, as opposed to hoping, that I wouldn’t have to hold this press conference as I’m canceling some regular season games,” Manfred said on Tuesday afternoon. “We have worked hard to avoid a bad outcome 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.”

Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the lockdown, and the next step is uncertain. Manfred said the two sides would regroup at some point and continue negotiations in New York.

Representatives from both sides arrived at the site in Jupiter, Florida, around 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, and met face-to-face for the first time around 1:30 p.m. after the players held a conference call to discuss their proposal, According to Ivan Drillic of Athletic. Although optimism prevailed after Monday’s marathon 16-hour negotiating session, Tuesday saw a dip.

The two sides appear to be the furthest from each other in terms of what a Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) will look like on payroll going forward. The CBT, which has come to operate as a salary cap, had in the past imposed mandatory penalties for teams exceeding certain payroll levels. The Federation will of course prefer those levels To be much higher than what the league suggests.

However, this is not the only objective issue that needs to be resolved. There is still a gap when it comes to the minimum salary and the size of the theoretical bonus pool for players before judging. While everything remains fluid on all fronts until an agreement is reached, the 12-team playoff appears to be moving forward.

The MLB originally set a deadline of Monday (February 28) to reach an agreement before canceling regular season matches and postponing the opening day for 2022. CBS Sports has provided a closing schedule here, but the short version is that the owners set the locks on when the previous CBA expired on December 1 – exactly three months ago. They were not obligated to do so, but it was described as a defensive maneuver. Then the league waited more than six weeks to make its first proposal.

CBS Sports offers live updates of Tuesday’s talks. You can continue below.