The baseball lockout has reached an end after 99 days. On Thursday, MLB players and team owners agreed to terms on a new labor agreement, with the players’s board voting in favor of MLB’s latest proposal at 26–12. The agreement ends the three-month lockout and clears the path for a 162-game 2022 season. After MLB owners signed off on the agreement with an unanimous 30-0 vote, MLB’s three-month labor dispute officially came to an end. The mandatory spring training report date for all clubs is Sunday, with exhibition games starting March 17 or 18.  In addition, free-agent signings can begin Thursday night. The league now plans to start 2022 regular-season campaigns on April 7, one week later that it was initially scheduled.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said during a news conference:  “I am genuinely thrilled to say Major League Baseball is back and we’re going to play 162 games. I want to start by apologizing to our fans. I know the last few months have been difficult.”

The new CBT jumps from $230 million to $244 million over the five-year deal, and the minimum salary for players with less than three years of Major League service time increases from $570,500 to $700,000, eventually growing to $780,000. Additionally, a bonus pool worth $50 million will be distributed among those younger players who have yet to reach arbitration.  Other key points of the agreement include: postseason expansion to 12 teams; advertisements on player jerseys and helmets; a designated hitter in the National League; implementation of a draft lottery; and a 45-day window for MLB to make rule changes — among them a pitch clock, larger bases and a ban on shifts in the 2023 season.

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