MLB: Delay to start of baseball season extended because of ongoing labour dispute
- Published
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been heavily involved in the discussions between team owners and players
The start of the Major League Baseball season has been delayed further after competition bosses and the Players' Association failed to reach a deal on a collective bargaining agreement.
The opening day of the campaign has been pushed back to 14 April.
MLB locked out its players in December after talks failed and has now cancelled the opening two weeks.
"I am saddened by this situation's continued impact on our game," said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.
"Regrettably, after our second late-night bargaining session in a week, we remain without a deal.
"We worked hard to reach an agreement and offered a fair deal with significant improvements for the players and our fans."
The Players' Association said in a statement that the MLB's decision to cancel additional games was "completely unnecessary".
"After making a set of comprehensive proposals to the league earlier this afternoon, and being told substantive responses were forthcoming, players have yet to hear back," it said.
The 2022 season was scheduled to begin on 31 March, and this year marks the first time there have been missed MLB games because of a labour dispute since the players' strike of 1994-95.
MLB and the Players' Association have been unable to come to an agreement on several money-related issues, including the size of the league's competitive balance tax - which works like a salary cap.
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