Baseball is BACK!!!

Thursday, March 10 2022 @ 03:20 PM EST

Just announced that an agreement has been reached. Hooray!

Opening Day will be April 7, the 45th anniversary of the Blue Jays first-ever game.

Players vote is 26-12 in favor. via Jon Heyman - the 12 no's were the 8 member executive council and the Mets/Yankees/Astros/Cardinals. All other teams players voted 'yes' including the Jays.

Details.. (updated as I hear more)

• Mandatory spring reporting date: March 13
• Spring games to begin on or about March 17 and regular season Opening Day to be on or about April 5
• Players pre-arb bonus pool $50 mil, no growth during 5 year deal
• There still will be a 162 game season. Plan has been to make up games on off days and at the end of the schedule (but it may take a doubleheader or 2) Doubleheaders 9 innings, not 7.
• MLB CBT: $230M to $244M over course of five-year deal
• MLB minimum: $700K to $780K over the course of the deal.
• MLB, players have agreed to draft/qualifying offer part which was the biggest sticking point yesterday. Parties have until July 25 to work on a fair International Draft, and if they get it done, the qualifying offer will be removed and the International Draft will begin In 2024 (this was the killer yesterday)
• Nine inning doubleheaders and regular extra inning rules return. Man on 2nd is a thing of the past. (via Jesse Rogers)

• full years service time for any ROY award winner and runner up.
• Playoffs expand to 12 teams, beginning this season
• The National League adopts the designated hitter starting this season
• A 45-day window for MLB to implement rules changes -- among them a pitch clock, ban on shifts and larger bases in the 2023 season
• A draft lottery (top 6 slots) implemented with the intent of discouraging tanking
• Draft-pick inducements to discourage service-time manipulation
• Limiting the number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one season
• the union will drop the grievance it filed in 2020 over MLB's handling of the pandemic-shortened season. However, the MLBPA didn't drop the revenue-sharing grievance it filed against four clubs in 2018.
• Players can report to spring training as early as Friday
• Owners vote at 6 PM ET on the deal
• Over 100 free agents still to sign
• Potential Game 163 tiebreaker has been scrapped. Jayson Stark of the Athletic reports there are seeding tiebreakers in place in the event teams finish the year with the same regular season record
• Wild Card round is best of 3 - The worst division winner will face the final Wild Card qualifier, while the top two Wild Card clubs will take on one another
• Rule 5 draft killed for this year for the first time since 1891
• Mandatory spring report date is Sunday, March 13
• The league succeeded in its desire to add advertising patches to player uniforms (Ugh)

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