Strikeout: Why the Baseball Season Hasn’t Started

Update: the feuding parties have now reached a settlement. Read more at https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2022/03/10/major-league-baseballs-owners-approve-five-year-labor-contract-with-30-0-vote-salvage-162-game-regul/49919457/.

If you are a fan of Major League Baseball, then you’re probably wondering why spring training hasn’t started. The reason for this is that the Major League Baseball Player’s Union (MLBPU) and MLB officials cannot agree on the amount of money to put into each clubs’ Competitive Balance Tax (CBT), or luxury tax. The CBT limits MLB clubs from overspending, and the MLB and MLBPU are split on what the spending limit should be, leading to a strike.

This is the first time in 27 years that games in the regular season have been canceled due to labor strife. In 1994 a similar event occurred, in which MLB officials proposed a salary cap to help balance out the difference between clubs’ revenues. The revenue-sharing plan required the players’ approval, but players protested. In all, 948 games were canceled because of the strike.

The MLB officials proposed $220 million this season and $230 in 2026, but the MLBPU wants a CBT of $238 million this season and $263 million in 2026. MLB told the players that their salary for each missed game, more than 20 million dollars per player on average, would not be paid, but the players are still not backing down.

The earliest that the season will start is April 8, 2022, but if the meetings in Jupiter, Florida keep happening without an agreement, then the season could be delayed further.

Sources

LUKE FANN

Editor at The City Voice

Hello, my name is Luke Fann. I love to read and write myself into a fantastical realm, but I love all genres. Of course, such a task requires assistance from my parents and older brother. I've feasted on alligators and tamed beasts like alpacas (my favorite animal), but none of that compares to my greatest weapon: a pencil. I am an editor here for the City Voice, and this is my second year writing for it.