Manny King John
At 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, the collective bargaining agreement(CBA) between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association that governs almost all operational aspects between the two has expired. At 12:01 Thursday morning, the league informed the players that it had locked them out. The last deal between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA was negotiated in 2016.
Less than two hours prior to the deadline, owners voted unanimously to force a work stoppage on Thursday. As a result, MLB is experiencing its first work stoppage since the players’ strike back in 1994-95.
The lockout means for MLB currently that the free agency process would be frozen with some big names still on the market. Since all transactions will be held, a lockout also means no trades. Players will be barred from using team facilities during the lockout.
Depending on how long the lockout lasts, it can affect the draft, spring training, and loss of games to begin the 2022 season. The winter meetings scheduled for next week has already been cancelled.
The bottom line is A lockout means the sport is on hold across all fronts until further notice, meaning until a new CBA agreement is reached.
