2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout
The 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout was the ninth work stoppage in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. It began at 12:01 a.m. EST on December 2, 2021, after MLB owners voted unanimously to enact a lockout upon the expiration of the 2016 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). It ended on March 10, 2022, with the signing of a new agreement. Issues raised between the league and union involved compensation for young players and limitations on tanking to receive higher selections in the MLB draft.
| 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout | |||
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| Date | December 2, 2021 – March 10, 2022 (3 months, 1 week and 1 day) | ||
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| Lead figures | |||
Tony Clark (MLBPA executive director) Rob Manfred (MLB commissioner) | |||
| Major League Baseball labor relations |
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| Work stoppages |
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| Baseball, Organized labor |
On March 1, 2022, following over a week of daily negotiations between the two sides, and three months of on and off negotiations, MLB cancelled the first two series of the regular season. MLB and the MLBPA reached an agreement on a new five-year CBA on March 10. The new CBA salvaged the full 162-game 2022 season by delaying Opening Day from March 31 to April 7, with originally cancelled games to be made up during the season.
The 2021–22 lockout was the first MLB work stoppage since the 1994–95 strike and the first lockout of the players since 1990. This was the second interruption of regular season play in three seasons, with the 2020 season having been delayed and shortened in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.