The MLB is in a lockout disaster...

 

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Ever since Rob Manfred took over as commissioner of the MLB for Bud Selig in 2015, he has been under harsh public scrutiny for some questionable decisions and comments he has made. Whether it was the lack of harsh punishment against players involved in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, seriously souring relationships with the MLB's Player's Association (MLBPA), unfortunate lack of public speaking skills, or referring to the World Series trophy as a "piece of metal," Manfred has accumulated more than his fair share of blunders as baseball's commissioner. These mistakes, as well as many others, have made Manfred out to be disliked by almost everybody that is a fan of baseball and has led to the MLB looking bad since his takeover. However, none of those are worse than where baseball is at right now, and that is in a lockout that has lasted for over three months up to this point.

For some context, the MLB is currently in a lockout because the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expired between the owners and the players on December 2, 2021. Sadly, the league and the players have been pretty far apart on many issues, such as rules pertaining to arbitration, minimum salaries, an expanded postseason, and other areas of concern. Many players have even been publicly criticizing the league and the owners for the handling of things. Even Mike Trout, who usually keeps to himself on matters like these, went on Twitter to say that negotiations and bargaining were not done in good faith by the MLB, and that the players stand together for the fans because they owe it to the generation that will succeed them.

Although many of the MLB's players have been putting the league and owners on blast, one interesting perspective that really stands is that of Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward. Heyward took to his Instagram profile to roast Manfred and the MLB, and he did not hold back on any punches. But what made Heyward's perspective really unique and interesting was that he has the opinion that, since the CBA expired, the MLB has been operating with the intention of starting the season late. His reasoning for this is because he believes that the MLB has their own ideal amount of games they hope are played during the season in order to make the owners the most money they can. He thinks that the MLB continuously made offers that they knew the players would refuse in hopes that the season would be delayed.

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Now you are probably asking: How would cancelling games benefit the owners and put more money in their pocket's? Well, as Heyward alluded to, the owners basically view the entire first month of the MLB season as debt. In fact, it is well known around the MLB that April is usually a month of low attendance and dips in revenue for many teams, especially for those that play in colder temperatures.

The best players in the game make a LOT of money, so that probably leads for many fans to wonder why they have anything to complain about. However, there are a lot of players that are in undesirable situations, such as those that play minor league ball and barely make enough money to make it as a professional baseball player. They also believe that players should be in control of their free agency sooner, and that arbitration should not last for as long as it does. All in all, if the MLB and its players are going to want to have a season, both sides will need to give a little bit in order to make that happen. The players might have to accept some of the unfair rules for a little longer, and the owners might have to be willing to change some of the longstanding rules that have been a staple to the MLB when it comes to salaries and contracts.

It should also be noted that this is a really bad time for the MLB to have a lockout. Obviously, there is never a good time for a professional sports league to have a lockout, but this is particularly bad because of the current state of the MLB. There are still a lot of MLB fans out there, but the game is not growing when it comes to the younger generations, and the biggest chunk of MLB fans out there are middle-aged folks. There are already a lot of people on the fence about the MLB. The longer the lockout lasts, the more there will be that are just going to decide that they do not care anymore, and that they are tired of the state of the league. However, there are a plethora of young, exciting players currently in the MLB, such as Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Javier Baez, Tim Anderson, Vladdy Guerrero Jr., and the list goes on and on. Players like these are bringing a swagger to the game of baseball that is unique to this generation, and the MLB should be working as much as they can to market these players to the younger generations. As fans, we hope that the MLB can get things together sooner rather than later. If not, they are at risk of seeing their ratings tumble even more.

Below is Ken Rosenthal's perspective on the current state of the MLB's lockout. Rosenthal is one of the most respected MLB journalists and insiders and he is a writer for The Athletic. Here, he provides a lot of insight into why things are still at a standstill and what the league could look like post-lockout: