Photo: Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves/Getty
The spokesperson added, “The deadline is the deadline. After February 28, games will be canceled. Missed games are missed games and salary will not be paid for those games.”
John McCoy/Getty
According toESPN, the Wednesday statement from the MLB marks the first time the league has publicly said it will shorten the season in the event of ongoing negotiations past the Monday deadline.
MLB and the MLBPA have been unable to reach an agreement on league salaries. The union is requesting salaries next season start at $775,000, while the league is proposing $640,000, with $10,000 raises for each year following, according to ESPN.
Salary is not the only issue the two sides have disagreed about: “competitive balance tax, a figure for a new pre-arbitration bonus pool, a plan to fight service-time manipulation and the size of a lottery-style Draft” are all being negotiated, according to theMLB website.
The upcoming MLB season is set to begin March 31 but is dependent on the Feb. 28 deadline. Bargaining is set to continue Thursday, and both the MLB and MLBPA have agreed to meet through Monday if necessary, according to theAssociated Press.
TheMLB lockoutfirst began in December, after the expiration of a previous collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and the MLBPA.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfredissued a statementafter the lockout, saying, “Despite the league’s best efforts to make a deal with the Players Association, we were unable to extend our 26 year-long history of labor peace and come to an agreement with the MLBPA before the current CBA expired.”
The MLBPA called the lockout “a dramatic measure, regardless of the timing.”
source: people.com
