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2022 – The lockout is over and baseball is back. Players and owners agreed today on major points of a new collective bargaining agreement, and spring training is expected to get underway on March 13. The commissioner’s office and Major League Baseball Players Association reached the agreement today on the 99th day of the owners’ lockout to end the first work stoppage the sport has had in 26 years. Free agency and the rest of the sport’s transactions, including trades, can resume immediately.
2020 – Following a conference call on March 9th with all 30 Clubs regarding the recent coronavirus cases around the world, Major League Baseball issued the following statement today:
“The health and safety of everyone in our communities is of the utmost importance to us. We have been engaging on an ongoing basis with a wide range of public health experts, infectious disease specialists, and governmental agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to obtain the latest information. We are regularly conveying the guidance from these experts to Clubs, players, and staff regarding prevention, good hygiene practices and the latest recommendations related to travel. We are continuing to monitor developments and will adjust as necessary. While MLB recognizes the fluidity of this rapidly evolving situation, our current intention is to play Spring Training and regular season games as scheduled.
“On a temporary basis, effective on Tuesday, March 10 only players and essential personnel may enter locker rooms and clubhouses at MLB facilities. In a joint step with other professional sports leagues, we are requiring that Clubs relocate media availabilities to another area in their facilities. Clubs will be expected to provide best efforts in facilitating usual media coverage and access to uniformed personnel and team officials in these alternate settings. Access for and coverage by the BBWAA and all media are vital to our game and we hope to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. We appreciate the media’s cooperation with this temporary step, which is being taken out of an abundance of caution for the best interests of all.”
