New York – Major League Baseball canceled more games on Wednesday after a fresh round of marathon labor talks with players ended in a another deadlock.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the 2022 season would not start until April 14 at the earliest after the latest negotiations failed to yield a breakthrough.
“We worked hard to reach an agreement and offered a fair deal with significant improvements for the players and our fans,” Manfred said.
“I am saddened by this situation’s continued impact on our game and all those who are a part of it, especially our loyal fans.”
The 2022 season had been due to get under way on March 31 but has been pushed back after fruitless negotiations to end a lockout of players.
The sides met for 16 hours on Tuesday, with the talks wrapping up in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A similarly protracted round of late-night negotiations also ended without an agreement last week, prompting MLB chiefs to cancel the opening weekend of games — marking the first time in 27 years regular season games have been lost to due to a labor dispute.
Players and team owners have been wrangling over the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement since February.
Players have been locked out by club owners since the previous labor deal expired on Dec. 1, 2021.
In his statement on Wednesday, Manfred said teams had gone to “extraordinary lengths” to meet the demands of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), baseball’s players union.
“In a last-ditch effort to preserve a 162-game season, this week we have made good-faith proposals that address the specific concerns voiced by the MLBPA and would have allowed the players to return to the field immediately,” Manfred said.
“The clubs went to extraordinary lengths to meet the substantial demands of the MLBPA. On the key economic issues that have posed stumbling blocks, the clubs proposed ways to bridge gaps to preserve a full schedule.
“Regrettably, after our second late-night bargaining session in a week, we remain without a deal.
“Because of the logistical realities of the calendar, another two series are being removed from the schedule, meaning that Opening Day is postponed until April 14th.
“We have the utmost respect for our players and hope they will ultimately choose to accept the fair agreement they have been offered.”
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times