Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred emerged from negotiations after the self-imposed deadline Tuesday with bad news for everyone involved, not the least of which are the game’s fans.
Here’s a transcript of part of his press conference Tuesday:
“I had hoped against hope that I would not have to have this particular press conference in which I am going to cancel some regular season games. We worked hard to avoid an outcome that’s bad for our fans, bad for our players, and bad for our clubs. I want to assure our fans that our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party. The players came here for nine days. They worked hard, they tried to make a deal and I appreciate their effort. Our committee of club representatives committed to the process. They offered compromise after compromise and hung in past the deadline to make sure that we exhausted every possibility of reaching an agreement before the cancellation of games. So far, the parties have failed to achieve their mutual goal of reaching an agreement. The unfortunate thing, maybe the most unfortunate thing, is that agreement, the one we offered to the players, offered huge benefits for our fans and for our players.”
The Major League Baseball Players Association responded last night with a statement. It reads in part:
“Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised. From the beginning of these negotiations, Players’ objectives have been consistent – to promote competition, provide fair compensation for you Players, and to uphold the integrity of our market system.”
Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/rmpciPsQm4
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 1, 2022
What does this all mean? For now, it means the first two series of the season have been cancelled. Those with Opening Day plans take note.
“The league made it sound as if it had no choice in the matter,” says Sports Illustrated’s Emma Baccellieri. “But it’s made plenty of choices throughout this process—and it’s those same choices that have led it here.”
The two sides can meet again as soon as Thursday but as of now nothing is scheduled.