MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Says He Believes Full Season Will Be Played

Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league's current belief is that the team owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) will come to a labor agreement and end the ongoing lockout in time for the upcoming regular season to be played in full.

Manfred said at a press conference Thursday morning that he is optimistic because his perspective on negotiations is that "you're always one breakthrough away from making an agreement."

"I'm an optimist, and I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular schedule," the commissioner answered in response to a question about whether opening day will still be held on March 31.

Manfred said the league plans to make a new proposal to the MLBPA Saturday and said there is currently "no change" with regard to spring training. Spring training could begin within a few days of an agreement being ratified, Manfred said, adding that the league would like to have a minimum four weeks of spring training prior to the regular season beginning.

He said that amount of time was based on the lessons learned and player injury data the league collected from the shortened spring training caused by the pandemic prior to the opening of the 2020 season.

Combined with Manfred's stated optimism that opening day will take place on March 31, four weeks of spring training would mean both sides have to come to a labor agreement sometime before the end of February.

He also said the two sides not coming to an agreement and being forced to miss games in the upcoming season would be a "disastrous outcome."

The commissioner explained that the two sides have agreed on creating a universal designated hitter rule, which would add the position to the National League (NL) and remove the requirement for pitchers to bat in games played in NL stadiums.

He was also pressed on why the owners did not meet with the players for over 40 days after the lockout was first imposed in December.

"Phones work two ways," Manfred said, calling the bargaining process something that both sides have to take responsibility for.

Manfred also said that the proposal the league plans to send to the MLBPA Saturday is better for the players in essentially every way than the agreement that expired after the end of the 2021 season.

"It's part of my job to get us to an agreement that keeps the game on the field," he said. "I take that responsibility really seriously...and we are trying to do that."

"We have proposed an agreement that is better in every respect than the expired contract. In total, the proposals we've made would move the agreement decidedly in the players' direction. Where the clubs have been and remain unwilling to move is in response to player proposals that we believe will undermine the competitive balance in our game."

Manfred, speaking after days of MLB owners' meetings in Florida, said the league has tried several tactics, beginning with the lockout, that they hoped would expedite the negotiation process.

By locking out the players in December, the owners restricted free agent signings and any contact between players and their teams—including the ability to work out at team facilities.

The last time MLB games were missed was during the 1994 labor stoppage, which began when players went on strike in August of that year. The end of the 1994 season was canceled, including the World Series. The start of the 1995 season was delayed and eventually shortened to 144 games amid contentious labor negotiations.

The bulk of the proposals from owners centers around increasing the playoff field, which would increase revenue, as well as measures to speed the pace of games.

Several of the players' proposals are focused on increasing the ability of younger players to reach unrestricted free agency and make more money sooner.

The sides still disagree on several key issues, including minimum player salaries and various other spending measures, according to the Associated Press.

The MLBPA declined a request for comment from Newsweek on Manfred's press conference.

Update 2/10/22 at 2:01 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional quotes and context from Manfred as well as the MLBPA declining comment to Newsweek.