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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that baseball is canceling Opening Day after the players rejected the league's "best and final offer" on Tuesday following nine straight days of negotiations.
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Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred outside Roger Dean Stadium on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Jupiter, Fla., after a labor negotiating session with baseball players. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
According to Manfred, the first two series of the regular season are officially canceled. The league schedule will drop from 162 games to 156 games at most. Manfred also said that Major League Baseball and the players' union have not made plans for future negotiations.
"My deepest hope is we get an agreement quickly," Manfred said. "I’m really disappointed we didn’t make an agreement."
Both sides made progress during 13 negotiating sessions and over 16.5 hours on Monday, but the players weren't happy with the final offer from the league.
"Not a particularly productive day today," Manfred said.
The main parking lot at the Los Angeles Angels Tempe Diablo Stadium remains closed as pitchers and catchers are not starting spring training workouts as scheduled as the Major League Baseball lockout enters its 77th day and will prevent pitchers and catchers from taking the field for the first time since October in Tempe, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
It will be the ninth work stoppage in MLB history. It will also be the fourth that causes regular-season games to be canceled.
"The concerns of our fans are at the very top of our consideration list," Manfred said.
Past stoppages were based on issues such as a salary cap, free-agent compensation and pensions. This one is pretty much solely over money.
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This fight was years in the making, with players angered that payrolls decreased by 4% from 2015 through last year, many teams jettisoned a portion of high-priced veteran journeymen in favor of lower-priced youth, and some clubs gave up on competing in the short term to better position themselves for future years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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