The 2022 MLB season is going to be very different from others. Spring training has already been delayed, players are at odds with their managers and player transactions are currently restricted. All because of the lockout between the league and the players. Money is actively being lost and plans are being canceled. The big question is what does this mean for the upcoming season.
A lockout is basically when the owners in a league shut everything down, typically because they can’t reach an agreement with the players. This agreement usually has to do with money and/or benefits, such as the declining average salary of a player. A player strike like this hasn’t happened in baseball since 1994, and they had to cancel the World Series because of it. However, in this case, it isn’t reasonable to think that this strike may result in the cancellation of this year’s World Series.
The timing of the ‘94 strike was inconvenient in respect to the season. It began in August of 1994 and didn’t end until April of 1995. If the current lockout lasts that same duration, it will end in late July, or around the time of the All Star Game,. This will still leave around the same time as there was in the 2020 season, which was shortened due to COVID-19.
The owners have already granted the players some additions they were asking for. Some examples are a designated hitter across the league, which means pitchers will not bat in the National League anymore. Also, the season will be a length of 154 games rather than 162.
The MLB Players Association said in a statement that the lockout was “the owners’ choice” It is the owners’ way of pressuring the players into lowering their demands and reaching an agreemnt. The lockout occurring at this time is significantly more convenient to the league than to the players. Although the league has the trouble that they can’t sign free agents, it’s better that this lockout is sooner rather than later. If it occurred during the regular season, the players would have much more leverage over the owners because with no games, there’s less money made.
Before the lockout occurred, free agents were being signed rapidly. Some teams decided to acquire whoever they could before the lockout, and other teams, like the Cardinals, didn’t want to risk signing a player in such an uncertain time.
These signs can easily worry baseball fans about this upcoming season. Another shortened season would be rough on everyone.
Not only is this going to be hard on players and owners, but is also making a huge impact on workers and reporters. If games start to get canceled, people who have jobs in the stadiums aren’t going to have work. Especially with all the uncertainty, it will be hard to find another job on such short notice. People who report on the games and write articles are going to have significantly less material if games aren’t going on. The same story about the lockout over and over again will eventually become uninteresting.
Evidently, this disagreement is becoming more and more impactful and significant very quickly. Ultimately, this season is going to be damaged. It’s unclear as to what extent, but this season is going to have changes nonetheless.