No MLB Agreement Even Possible Until End Of Week

MLB's owner-initiated lockout has now taken regular-season games off the schedule after the league and the players association were unable to strike a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement.

"Today is a sad day. We came to Florida to navigate and negotiate for a fair collective bargaining agreement. Despite meeting daily, there is still significant work to be done," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said Tuesday. "The reason we are not playing is simple: a lockout is the ultimate economic weapon. In a $10 billion dollar industry, the owners have decided to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have: the players."

CBS Sports reports that this is the first time games have been lost to a work stoppage since 1995.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is prepared to continue negotiations but has been informed the MLBPA is heading back to New York and the earliest the groups could meet again is Thursday.

"The clubs and our owners fully understand just how important it is to our millions of fans that we get the game on the field as soon as possible," he said Tuesday. "To that end, we want to bargain and agree with the Players' Association as soon as possible."

While the MLBPA unanimously rejected MLB’s final proposal on a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday, maybe a few days apart will help before regrouping and starting fresh.