PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay area is the epicenter for spring training baseball in Florida. Every February, major league players flock to the region in order to get in shape for the upcoming 162-game season.
But, with three weeks until pitchers and catchers begin reporting to their respective team compounds, the prospect of watching your favorite player participate in a few exhibition games is looking bleak.
Currently, players are locked out of team facilities and forbidden from communicating with team employees. It's a negotiating tactic MLB owners are using as the league and the players' union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
The owners locked out players on Dec. 2 and unless an agreement between the two sides is reached soon, the spring training schedule is in trouble.
However, there is a bright side to the looming deadline. Some progress was made during Tuesday's meeting between the two groups.
Major League Baseball withdrew its plan for more limited salary arbitration a day after the union withdrew its demand for greater free-agent eligibility. The clubs also accepted the union’s framework to funnel additional money to pre-arbitration-eligible players from central revenue, offering a $10 million pool.
Still, the clock is ticking. It is possible that if an agreement is reached by the end of the month, teams can rush through the final two weeks of the offseason and still have spring training start on time.
Currently, Feb. 15 is when pitchers and catchers are supposed to report for spring training and the first games are scheduled for Feb. 26.
However, if negotiations bleed until February, then there are a couple of scenarios that can play out.
The first is a shortened offseason and spring training in order to start Opening Day on time, which is Mar. 31.
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season proved that teams can make do with a three-week spring training rather than the typical month and a half. It's not ideal and could lead to injuries and poor performances in the regular season, but it's possible.
The other scenario is that teams still shorten the offseason and spring training but delay Opening Day.
Obviously, in 2020, Opening Day was delayed until June due to the pandemic. But, global pandemic aside, the last time the start of the season was pushed back was the last time players and owners were locked in heated labor negotiations.
In April 1995, players and owners came to terms on a new CBA which ended the player strike that started the year prior. Opening Day would end up being delayed by three weeks and the season was shortened to 144 games.
If an agreement isn't reached soon, we could see a similar situation.
In either scenario, we still will see a spring training. But, whether it takes place in the spring or summer will be seen.
