Major League Baseball Is Back, Baby!

I’m not going to bore you with all the details, so this will be the first time in my history here that I’m going to keep a promise to limit my commentary. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement and the new season will be underway soon. Free agency starts tonight and will undoubtedly be a wild ride as teams try to get organized for spring training.

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

There will be a mandatory March 13 report date, but players under contract can start reporting as of Friday. Many of them are already near their teams’ facilities, so it’s easy enough to show up now that the owner-implemented lockout is over. The plan is for spring training to begin on March 17 or 18, with Opening Day on April 7. Any doubleheaders played to make up for lost time will be a full 9 innings. Boom.