MLB Lockout: 2022 Regular-Season Games On Verge Of Being Canceled

MLB’s lockout isn’t only threatening the start of Opening Day 2022. The league says that if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached by Monday, the 162-game schedule will be shortened.

If the 2022 season doesn’t start on time, the games that are canceled won’t be made up later in the year. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said that four weeks of spring training are needed to prepare for the season, setting a Feb. 28 deadline for the season to go on as originally planned.

"A deadline is a deadline," an MLB spokesperson said, via ESPN. "Missed games are missed games. Salary will not be paid for those games."

Opening Day is scheduled for March 31. All 30 MLB teams are supposed to be in action.

It’s been 27 years since a labor dispute forced MLB to miss games. The 1995 season featured a 144-game schedule after a strike caused the 1994 World Series to be canceled.

The 2020 MLB season only featured a 60-game schedule because of the pandemic. The truncated schedule cost players nearly two-thirds of their salaries.

The start of spring training has already been delayed. Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report to camp last week. Exhibition games won’t be played until March 5 at the earliest.

The league and the players’ union don’t appear close to reaching a deal. The competitive balance tax, minimum salaries for players and arbitration rules are some of the issues that need to be resolved.