Baseball is back: MLB and MLBPA reach agreement to end lockout

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association have reached a deal to end the 99-day lockout after all.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news via Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

BREAKING: Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal, sources tell ESPN. While it still needs to be ratified by both parties, that is expected to be a formality, and when it is:

Baseball is back.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022

Players will also be able to report to spring training on Friday as reported by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Rogers also reported that Opening Day is set for Apr. 7. This opens the door for free agency and trades to start as well.

Players can report to spring-training camps as early as tomorrow. Opening Day is expected to be April 7, as @JesseRogersESPN first reported. Transactions unfreeze upon ratification, which is expected to come as early as today, meaning free agents can sign and trades can occur.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022

Other rules that will be added for the 2022 MLB season include:

• A universal DH
• A 45-day window to make any rule changes
• Pitch clock
• Shift ban
• A draft pick lottery
• Draft pick inducements to discourage service-time manipulation
• A limit to how many times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in a season

The vote made by the player representatives was 26-4 in favor of the agreement. The final vote from the executive subcommittee and 30 player representatives was 26-12 in favor.

We may be close to March Madness, but baseball coming back just made things a whole lot crazier with MLB free agency coming up soon.