TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees star Aaron Judge declined to directly answer a question about his vaccination status on Tuesday as New York required every private sector employee to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“I’m still focused on getting to the first game of spring training,” Judge said from the team’s Florida practice complex. “So I think we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.” But right now, so much could change. So I’m not really too worried about that at the moment.

Much like Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players won’t be allowed to dress at home due to the city’s private employer mandate that went into effect Dec. 27. .

The employer’s mandate is the same everywhere, whether it’s a sports team playing indoors or outdoors. A city hall official who was not authorized to speak officially noted that the start of the season is a month away, too far away to determine what will happen then as the city continues to monitor COVID-19 cases.

The Yankees said in a statement that team president Randy Levine is “working with city hall and all other appropriate officials on this matter.”

“We will have no further comment,” the team added.

The Yankees open their season at home against rival Boston Red Sox on April 7.

Judge is a three-time All-Star and a New York City clubhouse leader. He hit .287 with 39 homers last season and finished fourth in AL MVP voting. He is eligible to become a free agent after this season, although he has expressed a strong interest in signing a long-term contract with New York.

Even if New York’s mandate is lifted, unvaccinated Yankees players will have to sit out the nine games scheduled in Toronto against the Blue Jays. The Government of Canada requires a person to have received a second dose of vaccine – or a dose from Johnson & Johnson – at least 14 days prior to entry.

Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed as part of their new contract last week that unvaccinated players will not be paid for games in Toronto they miss due to the mandate.

New York’s first visit to Toronto is a three-game series that begins May 2.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday he was concerned about the impact on the roster of COVID-19 rules in Toronto.

“It will be interesting to say the least to see how this situation unfolds,” Boone said. “I think we still have at least a few guys who are unvaccinated, so we will be monitoring this situation closely and seeing how it goes. But yes, it is a concern.

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Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed from New York.

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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Major League Baseball has spent the past three months navigating a lockout that has caused enormous friction between owners, players and fans. To many on the outside, it may have seemed like a lot of bickering between billionaires and millionaires over revenue sharing and collective bargaining. Rather, these discussions were indicative of something much larger, the role of the future of work and the ripple effect it has on all industries. In these negotiations, we see the patterns of changing dynamics within the employer-employee relationship unfold in real time, but more importantly, we can imagine what is needed to develop a solid foundation for shaping a more harmonious for the 21st century.

Over the past few months, it has become apparent that ownership and players have often been at an impasse suffering from a lack of imagination. You could hear the words echoed by management guru Peter Drucker who said that “the greatest danger in turbulent times is not the turbulence; it is to act with the logic of yesterday. If there’s a lesson to be learned from this lockdown, it’s that to move the game forward and envision the future of baseball, they must embrace a new way to engage their work culture in a way that encompasses the need for greater emotional intelligence and understands that expanding the game is about managing future challenges that ensure a better experience for players and fans.

Just like many organizations going through these changing working arrangements, there are a few areas that need to be amplified. One is simply relationship building. In this case, in the future, the League and the Union must find strategies to develop more effective communication. Using empathy as an essential tool for growth can be an essential ingredient in this process. Second, just like many organizations, there is a sea change where a younger generation is coming to the fore and their views on how they engage with their work are different than years past. Being able to meet them where they are and listen to them is essential, it is essential for long-term organizational growth.

As we continue to engage in the future of work, it’s also important to think about the product and how the fan experience in the case of Major League Baseball can be better served by developing a more efficient to have a healthier work culture. One way to do this is for Major League Baseball to take a break and reset to explore how the disability experience can provide a value proposition that can offer a meaningful impact on their workplace culture as well as positive engagement. with their fans.

The lived experience of disability has always emphasized the culture of relationships. From the medical community to navigating the everyday life environment, it is essential to develop skills that enable better interpersonal relationships to expand to increased patience, resilience and adaptation. For the League and the Union, these skills are fundamental elements in restoring a fragile relationship and creating a healthier model for moving forward.

Another key area the disability narrative offers Major League Baseball is a window into the future of the fan experience. As the consumption of how people get their entertainment evolves and technology has become a driving force in finding new business opportunities, it is important to look at the disabled consumer and the value of universal design to be as inclusive as possible for all consumers. It’s no longer just about being ADA compliant in stadiums, it’s about expanding the game through access to the product itself. The disability community offers new insight into the relationship with technology, giving Major League Baseball a new way to think about additional avenues to grow the game in a more inclusive way.

As Major League Baseball strives to move beyond the lockdown, perhaps it is time for the league to carefully consider adopting core disability narrative concepts into its business model by establishing a pathway to transform behaviors and develop new modalities that will benefit everyone. areas of the game of the relationship between the league, the property and its players while creating a better experience for the fans in general.

A big point of contention between MLB and the MLBPA has been the expansion of the playoffs. The players’ association prefers a 12-team playoff format, while the owners want a 14-team format. Yesterday, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the MLBPA is open to revisiting the discussion of the 14-team playoff format to restart CBA negotiations.

Dodgers fans have shared their thoughts on the prospect of a 14-team playoff format.

A fan used it as an opportunity to take a shot at the arch-rival San Francisco Giants.

AGAINST – it devalues ​​the regular season. We no longer need 88 winning teams stealing the World Series because they get hot at the right time.

—Tom (@la4052101) March 4, 2022

Primarily, baseball fans aren’t thrilled about the prospect of letting slightly above-average clubs make the playoffs.

The ever-positive Gail Johnson is ready for anything that will end MLB’s lockdown.

One fan simply accepted the inevitable that a 14-team playoff would come to fruition.

Let us know what you think of the idea of ​​MLB implementing a 14-team playoff format below!

PEORIA, Ariz. — After nearly two full years — 724 days to be exact — Mariners fans will once again be allowed to walk through the side door of the team’s spring training complex and wander into the backyards to watch daily baseball practices.

The Mariners have announced that the complex will be open to fans from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST, beginning Saturday morning and through the remainder of minor league spring training, April 3.

Fans have not been allowed access to the complex’s backfields since Major League Baseball canceled spring training on March 12, 2020, as a precaution due to COVID-19.

After playing a shortened 2020 season without fans for the regular season, MLB has decided not to allow fans into team complexes out of safety for players who often have to walk among fans to get to certain areas. of the complex.

With more than 90% of Mariners minor league players fully vaccinated and COVID-19 cases slowly declining, safety guidelines don’t have to be so strict. The Mariners haven’t issued any backcourt rules, but marked off areas — like in previous years — have been put in place to maintain distance for players.

Of course, these workouts will only feature minor league players. With MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association locked in a bitter battle over a new collective bargaining agreement, and MLB owners instituting a player lockout Dec. 2, big league players and prospects minor leaguers on the 40-man roster, including top prospect Julio Rodriguez, are not allowed on the premises.

Still, for fans who are interested in the future of the organization and want to see big leaguers or potential stars up close, or for fans who just miss baseball, practices offer a chance to see baseball from close.

According to multiple outlets, the Mariners have one of the best farming systems in MLB — ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and No. 2 by The Athletic and Baseball Prospectus and No. 6 by ESPN — led by the ultra-talented Rodriguez , who looks like a budding star and is considered one of the top three prospects in all of baseball.

To protect him from a Rule 5 draft that may not happen now because of the lockout, the Mariners were forced to put Rodriguez on the 40-player roster in December, making him part of the MLBPA and ineligible. to participate.

But looking at the Mariners’ top 30 prospects in the organization by MLB Pipeline, only Rodriguez (#1), right-handed pitcher Matt Brash (#10), right-handed pitcher Juan Then (#14), outfielder Alberto Rodriguez (#21) and left-handed pitcher Aaron Fletcher (#23) are on the 40-man roster.

That leaves a slew of prospects in the camps, including top pitching prospect George Kirby, who is ranked 12th overall MLB prospect by Baseball America and leads a group of hard-hitting prospects. Fans will also be wowed by Noelvi Marte, the 20-year-old shortstop prospect that Baseball America ranks as the No. 18 prospect in baseball.

Kirby threw a fastball that hit 98 mph and a vanishing change during a live batting practice Thursday while Marte provided jaw-dropping moments during the current minor league minicamp, including including a laser one homer against the Padres in a scrimmage game.

Speaking of games, the minor league spring training games start March 14. But details as to the exact locations of the games and whether fans will be able to attend – they usually take place in the afternoon after morning practices – have yet to be determined by everyone. team.

Other Seattle top 30 prospects who will participate in practices:

• No. 4: Emerson Hancock, RHP
• No. 5: Harry Ford, C
• No. 6: Zach DeLoach, DE
• No. 7. Brandon Williamson, LHP
• No. 8: Connor Phillips, RHP
• No. 9: Levi Stoudt, RHP
• No. 11: Edwin Arroyo, SS
• No. 12: Adam Macko, LHP
• No. 13: Milkar Perez, 3B
• No. 15: Michael Morales, RHP
• No. 16: Starlin Aguilar, 3B
• No. 17: Gabriel Gonzalez, OF
• No. 18: Isaiah Campbell, RHP
• #19: Kaden Polcovich, SS-2B
• No. 20: Bryce Miller, RHP
• No. 22: Jonatan Clase, OF
• No. 24: Sam Carlson, RHP
• #25: Taylor Dollard, RHP
• No. 26: Tyler Keenan, 1B-3B
• No. 27: Cade Marlowe, OF
• No. 28: Patrick Frick, SS
• No. 29: Luis Bolivar, OF
• No. 30: Juan Pinto, LHP

Also

The Mariners saw two players suspended for violating the minor league drug prevention and treatment program.

Right-handed pitcher Luiz Baez received a 60-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the program.

Bernie Martinez, also a right-handed pitcher, received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for LGD-4033 and Ostarine, performance-enhancing substances in violation of the program.

Baez, 21, was 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA in appearances for the Arizona Complex League Mariners in 2021. In 28 1/3 innings, he struck out 41 batters and walked 31.

Martinez, 25, pitched in 28 games for three different affiliates, posting a 4-2 record with a 7.31 ERA. In 56 2/3 innings, he struck out 52 batters with 23 walks. He pitched most of the season at High-A Everett, making 25 appearances where he had a 6.70 ERA. He was an undrafted free agent who left Incarnate Word University in 2019.

Sand crosses the hourglass for Major League Baseball. February 28^and The deadline for an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement seems unlikely, which will delay spring training and the start of the 2022 regular season. A spokesperson for Major League Baseball confirmed the obvious by stating that regular season ball games would be canceled and not rescheduled to a later date. Ballplayers would also start losing paychecks. According to research by the Associated Press, baseball players could lose $20.5 million every day regular season ball games are canceled due to the lockdown.

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) must quickly find an accelerated path to resolving key economic issues. One of the main objectives of the negotiations was the compensation of young ballplayers during their pre-arbitration years. Currently, Major League Baseball has increased the amount of the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $15 million to $20 million. They remain committed to distributing the money only to the top 30 ballplayers eligible for pre-arbitration. The MLBPA wants to see the pool set at $115 million and distributed to the top 150 ballplayers eligible for pre-arbitration.

In regards to creating a draft lottery like the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball has expressed a desire to adopt a system that focuses on the top four picks. The MLBPA would like to see a draft lottery that incorporates the top seven picks. By comparison, the National Basketball Association draft lottery only includes the top four picks. Competitive integrity is a serious concern for the MLBPA and so ball clubs are deeply committed to winning, regardless of their record or standings position. A logical compromise might be to create a draft lottery for the top five picks.

Major League Baseball has decided to withdraw its proposal asking the MLBPA for the option of reducing the size of minor league rosters. The national reserve roster is a concern given Major League Baseball’s desire for flexibility regarding the number of minor league ballplayers a major league ball club can have under contract. Although this topic has been temporarily removed from the negotiations, it will likely be revisited at some point in the future.

The number of times a ballplayer could be optioned in a season has been a topic of interest. Major League Baseball favored a maximum of five times but decided to remove this element from its proposal. The MLBPA has expressed comfort with a maximum of four times per season. There has been a focus on quality of life issues for ballplayers given the constant back and forth between major and minor league ball clubs.

The MLBPA believes there should be significant changes to the minimum wage structure and how quickly ballplayers can get to arbitration. Their latest proposal calls for an initial minimum wage of $775,000 with increases of $30,000 each season. If the collective agreement spans five seasons, the minimum wage for the 2026 season as requested by the MLBPA would be $895,000.

Major League Baseball countered with a $10,000 increase each season to their existing proposal. In 2022, the minimum wage would be $640,000 and by the 2026 season it would increase to $680,000. Note the minimum wage differences in Major League Baseball compared to the National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League. Currently, Major League Baseball lags behind each of these leagues when it comes to minimum salaries for their ballplayers.

In terms of Super Two eligibility, the MLBPA made another slight tweak to its proposal. Instead of extending arbitration eligibility to 80% of ballplayers between two and three years of service, the MLBPA would be comfortable at 75%. Under the recently expired collective agreement, it was 22%. Ideally, Major League Baseball would like to reduce arbitration eligibility while the MLBPA is aggressively looking for ways to expand it. One has to wonder if Major League Baseball has genuine concerns about extending arbitration eligibility to more ballplayers, as it could result in additional hearings with umpires ruling in favor of ballplayers. ball.

Nothing significant was achieved after three afternoons of collective bargaining. In fact, procrastination has become wacky in nature. Incremental progress would have worked well in December and January if the negotiations had taken place every five days and if there had been a constant exchange of proposals. Major League Baseball initiated the lockout and now they are threatening to cancel regular season ball games in days. The only clarity we have is that neither side is acting with a great sense of urgency and serious damage is being done to baseball’s heartbeat.

NEW YORK — Some of the key areas of collective bargaining between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association from proposals through Feb. 17, as obtained by The Associated Press. This is only a partial list of negotiation topics:

Free Agency

MLB: Would retain existing system in which six seasons of major league service is required.

MLBPA: Would retain existing system, subject to agreement on its service time proposal.

Free Agent Draft Pick Pay

MLB and MLBPA: Agree to eliminate direct compensation for amateur draft pickers, which has existed since 1976 and has existed for qualified free agents since 2012.

MLB proposed that a team losing a free agent would receive draft compensation based on revenue-sharing status and whether a club had exceeded the luxury tax threshold. For a free agent who had spent the entire season with a team, there would be four pay tiers based on:

— $25 million in guaranteed salary or $18 million in average annual value (AAV),

— $55 million or $23 million AAV,

— PV of $100 million or $30 million,

— $150 million or $40 million AAV.

Salary arbitration

MLB: Would keep the current system for players with at least three years of service and less than six, plus the top 22% in terms of service time with at least two years but less than three, the threshold since 2013. The Super class 2 started in 1991 at 17%.

MLBPA: Would reduce eligibility to two years of major league service, plus the top 80 percent per time of service with at least two years but less than three. The MLBPA estimated an additional 98 players would become eligible after 2021 with a 2-year, 27-day lag. MLB estimated 97 others.

Pre-Arbitrage Bonus Pool

MLBPA: Proposed a new bonus pool for those not yet eligible for arbitration, which would share $115 million of central revenue, based on WAR, appearances on an all-MLB team and recognition such as the best position player, the best pitcher and the best rookie to be distributed among 150 players.

MLB: Would accept a new bonus pool, offering $15 million to be split among 30 players.

service time

MLBPA: Saying it would address his allegations of mishandling service time, proposes rookie-eligible players be credited with an additional year of major league service for the top 20 at every position in every league per WAR , or top seven, depending on position, and for the top five rookies of the year, the top three Rivera/Hoffman awards or the first or second all-MLB team.

MLB: Proposed that any rookie-eligible player with top-100 prospect status who accrues a full season of major league service would be eligible to earn their team up to two additional draft picks – one national and one international – if the MLBPA accepted an international project, which he opposed. The MLBPA would additionally agree to its own proposal, but with modifications.

luxury tax

The threshold was $210 million in 2021, with tax rates of 20% for the first offense, 30% for exceeding in consecutive years, and 50% for exceeding in three or more consecutive years. Supplements for exceeding $230 million and $250 million. The second threshold was $230 million last year, with tax rates of 32% for the first offender, 42% for the second and 62% for the third. The third threshold was $250 million, with tax rates of 62.5% for the first offender, 75% for the second and 95% for the third.

MLB: Proposed to increase threshold to $214 million in 2022 and 23. $216 million in 24, $218 million in 25 and $222 million in 26, with second threshold of $20 million above- above the first and the third threshold of $40 million above the first. MLB also proposed raising the tax rate to 50% if the first threshold is exceeded, 75% if the second is exceeded, and 100% if the third is exceeded, with no escalation rate for a team. exceeding in successive years. A team would lose a second-round pick for passing the second threshold rather than dropping 10 spots and would lose a first-round selection for passing the third threshold.

MLBPA: Proposed to raise threshold from $245 million for 2022 season. Threshold would increase to $273 million in 2026, maintain expired deal rates and eliminate non-cash penalties.

amateur draft

MLB: Proposed an NBA/NHL style lottery for the top three picks.

MLBPA: Accepted the concept of a weighted lottery but would increase the number of teams to eight and make adjustments intended to encourage competition.

Minimum wage

MLB: proposed increase from $570,500 to $630,000 in 2022 or, alternatively, a staggered minimum of $615,000 for initial major leaguers, $650,000 for players with one year of service and $725,000 for those with two years. The single tier would grow by $10,000 per year, reaching $670,000 by 2026. Each tier would grow by $10,000 per year, reaching $640,000, $690,000, and $740,000 by 2026.

MLBPA: Proposed raising it to $775,000 in 2022 and phasing it out to $875,000 by 2026.

Both sides have proposed increases to the minor league minimum for players with major league contracts, which in 2021 was $46,600 for a player signing their first major league contract and $93,000 for a player signing. a second or later contract in the major league.

Post-season

MLB: Would expand the playoffs from 10 to 14 teams, with wildcards increasing from two per league to four. The division winner with the best record in each league would advance directly to the division series, and the other two division winners and wildcard teams would start in a best-of-three round.

The division winner with the second-best record would choose their opponent from the three lowest-ranked wildcard teams. The division winner with the third-best record could then choose from the two remaining wild cards. The top wild card would face the remaining team after the division winners made their picks.

MLBPA: Expanded playoffs to 12 teams and possible realignment to two divisions per league, subject to agreement on MLBPA economic proposals. A three-division plan would result in 8-16 more games and a two-division plan in 10-18.

Designated hitter

MLB offered to accept the MLBPA’s proposal to expand the designated hitter to the National League, subject to an agreement on the playoff expansion. The DH has been used in the American League since 1973 and was used in both leagues during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

amateur draft

The MLBPA offered to reduce the amateur draft from 40 rounds to 20, which MLB agreed to.

Uniform advertisements

MLB: Proposed adding advertising patches for uniforms and helmets.

MLBPA: Would agree, subject to agreement on MLBPA’s economic proposals.

Revenue sharing

MLBPA: Clubs’ proposed annual revenue sharing will be cut by $30 million.

MLB: Disputes calculation of MLBPA’s proposal and says it will not agree to any changes to a system largely in place since the 1997 agreement.

International Draft

MLB proposed an international draft, which the MLBPA long opposed.

Optional missions

MLB: Proposed limit of five optional minor league assignments in a season for a player as part of 28-item package that also includes MLBPA’s agreement to allow MLB to reduce the number of players with minor league contracts 180 to 150. per major league team in future seasons.

MLBPA: Proposed a limit of four optional assignments, unrelated to the minor league reserve minimum.

Field Rule Changes

MLB has proposed a joint committee, including at least four active players, to discuss potential on-field rule changes.

Length

Five years.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

What had become increasingly inevitable was made official this week as Major League Baseball announced it had delayed the start of spring training games until at least early March due to the ongoing lockdown.

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, that meant canceling their first seven Cactus League games. As it stands, they won’t play their first spring training game of 2022 until a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers on March 5.

“We regret that, with no collective agreement in place, we have had to postpone the start of spring training games to Saturday March 5th at the earliest. All 30 clubs are united in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands,” MLB said in its statement.

“The clubs have adopted a uniform policy which provides a full refund option to fans who have purchased tickets from the club for any spring training matches which are not taking place. We are committed to reaching a fair agreement for each party.

“Owners’ Negotiating Committee members will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association on Monday and will stay every day for the next week to negotiate and work hard to start the season on time.”

MLB hasn’t provided many details on how to get a refund, but presumably it will be a similar process once the 2020 spring training games were canceled due to the pandemic. coronavirus (COVID-19).

Fans who purchased tickets through Camelback Ranch or Dodgers.com were automatically refunded to the credit card originally used. This included single game tickets, season ticket packages and groups or suites.

Meanwhile, all customers who purchased Camelback Ranch tickets with cash were required to complete a “Refund Form for Cash Payments” document. The completed form had to be submitted, along with the physical game tickets, and mailed to Camelback Ranch Tickets via US Mail to receive a refund check.

Fans who purchased tickets from other sources and third-party vendors (StubHub, Vivid Seats, etc.) were asked to submit refund requests through the original point of purchase.

Turner and Bellinger think they can navigate shortened spring training

With the start of spring training officially postponed, Justin Turner is confident he can handle it as long as it doesn’t affect the regular season.

“Hopefully we can have a full regular season and maybe a bit shortened spring training,” he said. “Honestly, I’m not going to complain about a short spring training, but I hope to have 162 (games) complete.”

Taking a similar stance to Turner, Cody Bellinger also opines that he wouldn’t need the prototypical length of spring training.

“I always thought spring was a little too long. In terms of player position, different from a pitcher, I imagine,” he said during an appearance at the Justin Turner Golf Classic.

“I don’t know how pitchers do, especially if you’re on the East Coast and it’s cold outside. Personally, I would say a month. A little less than a month. Like I said, working in Arizona, you can go up against guys, see bullpen.

Have you got subscribed to Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date with all the Dodgers news and rumors!

In light of the ongoing Major League Baseball labor dispute, the league has officially announced that the spring training schedule has been postponed to March 5 at the earliest. Here is the official statement from MLB:

We regret that, with no collective agreement in place, we have had to postpone the start of spring training games to Saturday March 5th at the earliest. The 30 Clubs are united in their strong desire to bring the players back to the pitch and the fans to the stands. The clubs have adopted a one-size-fits-all policy that provides a full refund option to fans who have purchased tickets from the clubs for any spring training matches that are not taking place. We are committed to reaching a fair agreement for each party. Members of the owners’ bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players’ Association on Monday and will stay on every day next week to negotiate and work hard to start the season on time.

First, here’s another reminder that the league is under no obligation to postpone any of these games. It’s an owner-mandated lockout that they could decide to lift in order to play games while negotiating a new CBA. Just at the right time, MLBPA released the following statement:

MLB announced today that it “must” postpone the start of spring training games. It’s wrong. Nothing compels the league to delay the start of spring training, just as nothing required the league’s decision to implement the lockout in the first place. Despite these league decisions, the players remain committed to the negotiation process.

The most newsworthy point of the statement is, of course, the delayed start to the spring training game. The action of the game was supposed to start on February 26 and instead it won’t happen until March 5. In all likelihood, this will wipe out around 6-9 games of action per team as they typically play 28-32.

On the positive side, there is still time to reach an agreement and keep the regular season in place. Commissioner Rob Manfred said teams will need about four weeks to start opening day (March 31) on time. It’s reasonable that teams could start training 4-5 days before getting in-game action on March 5 and then prepare for March 31.

In light of that, the next most newsworthy part of the statement would be the in-person meetings coming next week. So far, the two sides have taken days or even weeks between meetings. The last meeting between the two parties took place on Thursday – full details on said meeting here – and the next will be on Monday. They then plan to meet every day next week.

In general, in collective bargaining, more frequent meetings take place when progress is made. Although the latest statement from Major League Baseball is hardly encouraging for baseball fans, there is still hope that the regular season will start on time.

Major League Baseball on Friday canceled the first week of spring training games through March 4, in the first public acknowledgment of the disruption caused by the lockdown.

The announcement came with the work stoppage entering its 79th day, and a day later talks between management and the Major League Baseball Players Association lasted just 15 minutes.

Negotiators are due to resume talks on Monday. MLB said members of the owners’ bargaining committee will attend the seventh session on the central issues of the dispute since the lockout began Dec. 2.

Spring training was scheduled to begin this week, and the show schedule was scheduled to begin Feb. 26. There were 16 games scheduled that day, including the World Series champions Atlanta Braves taking on the Boston Red Sox in Florida and the Cleveland Guardians taking on the Cincinnati Reds in Arizona.

“We regret that, with no collective agreement in place, we have had to postpone the start of spring training games until Saturday, March 5, at the earliest,” MLB said in a statement.

“The 30 clubs are united in their strong desire to bring the players back onto the pitch and the fans back into the stands.”

MLB told the union it believed Feb. 28 was the latest possible date to reach an agreement that would allow for a timely start to the season. The union did not respond.

The players’ association was discussing players’ participation in the next discussion session.

For the most part, owners and players joined the negotiations through Zoom. Colorado Rockies general manager Dick Monfort, chairman of the owners’ labor policy committee, and free agent reliever Andrew Miller both attended the Jan. 24 session, the first in-person negotiation during the lockout. out.

“We are committed to reaching a fair agreement for each party,” MLB said. “Owners’ negotiating committee members will join a face-to-face meeting with the players’ association on Monday and will stay every day for the next week to negotiate and work hard to start the season on time.”

Spring training was scheduled to start on Wednesday.

“The clubs have adopted a uniform policy that provides a full refund option to fans who have purchased tickets from the clubs for all spring training games that are not held,” MLB said.

NEW YORK (AP) — A minor league players’ advocacy group has praised locked-out big leaguers for refusing to consider a Major League Baseball proposal that would give teams the option of cutting 900 league jobs. minors.

MLB has proposed that the Major League Baseball Players Association agree that management has the option of reducing the number of national players with minor league contracts to 150 if it chooses to start in 2023, from 180. MLB also requested the flexibility to increase the figure. .

The union said during ongoing negotiations that it was not interested in the proposal, which is part of a larger package of 28 articles, and that it had rejected it at least three times.

“We were pleased to learn that the MLBPA has repeatedly rejected MLB’s short-sighted proposal to cut even more minor league jobs,” attorneys for the minor leaguers said in a statement Tuesday. “The proposal itself re-emphasizes that minor leaguers need and deserve a say in their wages and working conditions.”

Players with major league contracts are unionized, covering those on the big league 40-player rosters. Players with minor league contracts are not covered by collective bargaining.

The proposal was first reported by ESPN.

After successfully lobbying Congress to exempt the minor leaguers from federal minimum wage laws, MLB raised wages between 38% and 72% when the minor leaguers returned last year after a one-year absence. season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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