MLB Institutes Lockout, Baseball’s First Work Stoppage Since 1994-95

Image credit: (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Major League Baseball announced Wednesday night it has locked out the players following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

Owners voted unanimously to institute the lockout once the current CBA expired at 11:59 pm ET with no new agreement in place. It is MLB’s first work stoppage since the 1994-95 player strike and the first lockout since 1990.

In a statement addressed to fans posted on MLB.com, Commissioner Rob Manfred said “Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions.”

Teams will not be permitted to make any transactions involving 40-man players during the lockout. Additionally, injured players will not be able to use team facilities or trainers to rehab and players and team employees may not communicate in any way. Team employees have been instructed not to discuss players on 40-man rosters, and MLB.com has scrubbed all images of 40-man roster players on its website.

The major league portion of the Winter Meetings in Orlando has been canceled, although the minor league portion will take place. Players not on 40-man rosters, which includes most minor leaguers, can still sign minor league free agent deals or be traded.

The last lockout in 1990 did not result in any regular-season games being lost, although it wiped out most of spring training and caused Opening Day to be pushed back to April 9. The league and players association still have more than three months to reach a deal before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for 2022 spring training on Feb. 14.

Among the issues dividing the two sides are when players become eligible for free agency and salary arbitration, the amount of the competitive balance tax threshold, draft pick compensation for free agents and mechanisms to discourage tanking, such as a draft lottery.

MLB deputy commissioner Dan Halem and MLBPA chief negotiator Bruce Meyer led talks in Irving, Texas this week, but a deal between the two sides never came close.

“The shutdown is a dramatic measure, regardless of the timing,” the MLBPA said in a statement. “It is not required by law or for any other reason. It was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure (p)layers into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not just (p)layers, but the game and industry as a whole. These tactics are not new. We have been here before, and Players have risen to the occasion time and again — guided by a solidarity that has been forged over generations. We will do so again here.”

Historically, the effects of a work stoppage on prospects and the minor leagues has been minimal.

Minor league games have continued as normal in previous lockouts or strikes, with the exception of players on 40-man rosters not being allowed to participate in games. During the 1994-95 strike, top prospects who were not on 40-man rosters participated in big league spring training as they otherwise normally would have.

The Rule 5 draft, scheduled for Dec. 9, will not have a major league portion as a result of the lockout, but there will be a minor league portion. The status of the upcoming international signing period, scheduled to open Jan. 15, remains uncertain.