Baseball Is BACK for the 2022 Season!
Posted by EyePromise on Mar 30th 2022
At the start of the month, there were questions surrounding the 2022 professional baseball season. There was an owner-mandated lockout that posed a threat to kicking off the season. We’re reviewing why the lockout happened, how a resolution was found, and what to expect for the upcoming season.
The Lockout
As we mentioned before, there was an owner-mandated lockout implemented in December of 2021, and it’s the longest lockout in professional baseball history! A lockout is when management implements a work stoppage during labor disputes with employees. This particular lockout was enacted by commissioner Rob Manfred to use as leverage during negotiations with the players’ union.
The last lockout was in 2016, lasted 32 days, and ended without a single season game being impacted. This lockout not only impacted regular season games, but it totally limited off-season efforts, meaning no players could sign major-league contracts and no injured players could access team doctors.
The Resolution
After 99 days,
the league and players’ union came to an agreement and finally signed the new
CBA into effect. While the details of the negotiation are complex and intended
for lawyers, some of the top items affected in this settlement include:
- The Draft will no longer be impacted by how well or how poorly a team performs, keeping teams from “shedding payroll and fielding the worst rosters in [the league] so they can have a top-5 pick in the Amateur Draft.”
- Playoffs are increasing from a 10-team format to a 12-team format.
- Minimum salaries will increase from $570K to $700K for 2022 and will increase every year until the end of the CBA (2026).
- The competitive balance tax now includes a fourth tier, meaning that if a team goes $60 million over the new set CBT ($230 million), they will receive the harshest penalties.
- Potential rule changes for the 2023 season include a pitch clock and banning the infield shift.
- The designated hitter has been adopted by the National League.
The 2022 Season
Although the first 2 series for all teams were cancelled, the new 162-game schedule begins on April 7. The season will stretch into October, with the new playoff setup beginning after the 5th of the month. While we’re all disappointed by the reduced schedule, let’s get excited for the new season to come! Baseball is BACK!
