HOUSTON - For the first time in more than 25 years, a lockout has been issued within Major League Baseball.
"We feel it’s the best strategy to protect the 2022 season," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
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Team owners and players have been unable to agree on much of anything recently. After the collective bargain agreement deadline passed without a resolution, team owners issued a lockout. Meaning there can’t be any organized team-related activities, trades, or free agent signings.
"This was inevitable," said Michael Connor from SportsTalk 790. "You just have to sit and strap your boots on. Get ready for a fight from these two sides."
The two sides disagree on several issues, but especially money. Players want to be able to reach free agency earlier through an age-based system to increase compensation.
It’s unclear how long the lockout could last, or if it could impact the upcoming 2022 baseball season.
"I would be shocked if they were going to push the opening day back," said Connor. "Cooler heads will eventually prevail. We’ll get past the holidays; they’ll go through the fight in January. Then, they’ll realize it’s February, we should be reporting to camp. Let’s figure this out."
Team websites were wiped clean within hours of the lockout announcement. Photos of players have been removed from MLB team rosters online.
"That’s really petty," said Josue Valdez, an Astros fan.
"I hope they figure out where they’re going to do, because there’s going to be a lot of people disappointed on opening day," said Juan Alvarez, an Astros fan.
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Most experts seem to think the 2022 MLB season should start on time. However, that’s not certain. Some people do worry it could start late.
"The players are great, and I’m a big fan of Jim Crane," said Mattress Mack. "Each side has their own interests. Hopefully, they can find common ground and meet in the middle and can play ball starting in April. My bet is, they figure it out by the end of February."