Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that the league has canceled the first two series of the regular season after the league owners and the Players’ Association failed to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
“The calendar dictates that we’re not going to be able to play the first two series of the regular season and those games are officially canceled,” Manfred said. “We’re prepared to continue negotiations. We’ve been informed that the MLBPA is heading back to New York, meaning that no agreement is possible until at least Thursday. As such, camps could not meaningfully operate until at least March 8, leaving only 23 days before the scheduled Opening Day.”
“The clubs and our owners fully understand just how important it is to our millions of fans that we get the game on the field as soon as possible. To that end, we want to bargain and agree with the Players’ Association as soon as possible.”
The New York Yankees would have been on the road against the Texas Rangers for their first series with another road series against the Houston Astros to follow.
The New York Mets would have been home against the Washington Nationals for their first series with another home series against the Atlanta Braves to follow.
The current lockout marks the first MLB work stoppage since 1994, when a player strike canceled the World Series and extended into the first few weeks of the 1995 season.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].