(Reuters) – Major League Baseball (MLB) and its locked-out players have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal to end the second-longest work stoppage in the game’s history, a source confirmed to Reuters yesterday.
MLB locked out players last December and had already cancelled the first two weeks of the 2022 season, which was scheduled to begin on March 31.
The deal is still subject to ratification by both parties, according to the source.
According to a report on MLB’s website, the new five-year labor pact is expected to include increased minimum salaries, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool to reward the top young players in the game and a raise in competitive balance tax thresholds.
The report also said, pending ratification, spring training camps will open on Sunday and a full 162-game season regular season is expected to begin on April 7.
According to ESPN, the final vote from the executive sub-committee and 30 players’ representative was 26-12 in favour of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Players celebrated on social media, with five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen tweeting “Welp, where am I signing?”