MLBPA Rejects MLB's Final Offer Before Deadline, Opening Day Canceled
After nine days of meeting in Jupiter, Florida, the MLBPA has unanimously rejected MLB's final proposal on a new collective bargaining agreement, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the media from Jupiter after the deadline passed, saying he will cancel the first two series of the regular-season. Opening Day was scheduled for Thursday, March 31, which the league had threatened to cancel if a deal was not agreed upon before MLB's self-imposed 5 p.m. ET deadline.
MLB's final and "best" offer ends up as a "slap in the face," as one player told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
MLB's Final Offer:
MLBPA's Final Offer:
The MLBPA released a statement via Twitter, saying they are disgusted, yet not surprised by the outcome.
Not even 16 hours of negotiation Monday could help matters -- 16 hours where MLB indicated that they had made progress entering the wee hours of the night. The tone from the MLBPA's side, as MLB made known to reporters Tuesday, had changed overnight, leading to this outcome.
Negotiations have officially reached an impasse, with no indication on when the two sides will meet again.
"We need to regroup and figure out how we're going to move the process forward," Manfred said.
It's equally a sad day for baseball, as it is for its fans, arguably the biggest losers after today's news. It's only compounded when you realize that MLB waited over 40 days into the lockout to make its first offer -- none of them moving the needle for the MLBPA.
Baseball's future, amid a dip in ratings, attendance and interest, appears to be in peril. Fans will tell you Manfred is the villain and it's hard to argue after watching him speak at the podium.
The man who put the kibosh on MLB's Opening Day was beaming as he took questions from reporters, before declaring that the concerns of fans were his top priority.
"The concerns of our fans are at the very top of our consideration list," Manfred said.
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.