Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred answers questions during an MLB owner's meeting at the Waldorf Astoria on February 10, 2022 in Orlando,
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred answers questions during an MLB owner’s meeting at the Waldorf Astoria on February 10, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
Julio Aguilar | Getty Images
Major League Baseball and the players union have reached a tentative labor deal that would pave the way for spring training games to begin and Opening Day to take place in early April.
A person familiar with the matter told CNBC that the agreement is subject to ratification.
The breakthrough came 99 days into the owner-imposed lockout of players after the sides failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. Spring training had been canceled.
The season had originally been set to start March 31. Owners canceled the start of the season last week after they couldn’t reach a deal with players by a league-imposed deadline.
Now the season is set to begin April 7, according to ESPN, which broke the news.
The sports news network reported that players can start to report to spring training as early as Friday.
Wednesday night, MLB owners had said they would cancel more games and push Opening Day until April 14, absent a deal.
– CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
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