Major League Baseball Postpones Start of Spring Training Games

As expected, Major League Baseball has announced it will be delaying the start of spring training games through March 5 – this according to ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan.

Major League Baseball has postponed spring training games through March 5. Which was obvious, of course, but it's now official as the league prepares to start meeting with the MLB Players Association on Monday as collective-bargaining negotiations finally start to ramp up.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 18, 2022

The spring training schedule was initially set for February 26, but an ongoing labor dispute between MLB and its Players Association has altered those plans.

MLB released a statement Friday saying:

“We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of Spring Training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5th. All 30 Clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands. The Clubs have adopted a uniform policy that provides an option for full refunds for fans who have purchased tickets from the Clubs to any Spring Training games that are not taking place. We are committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to each side. On Monday, members of the owners’ bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time.”

While officials are optimistic that an agreement can be reached by the end of the month, the union has yet to comment on a possible time frame.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Los Angeles Dodgers as World Series betting favorites at +600 odds.