TORONTO – After 99 days, MLB’s lockout is finally over.
Players voted to accept the league’s latest CBA offer Thursday afternoon, ending an intense period of negotiation during which MLB twice announced the cancellation of regular season games. Now that the deal has officially been ratified by MLB’s owners, teams and players are preparing for accelerated spring training followed by a 162-game season and what will be MLB’s first ever 12-team playoff field. And before all of that? Expect a flurry of transactions that may rival the wild period of activity that immediately preceded the lockout.
Of course a new agreement brings with it a whole new set of questions. While players make their way to Florida and Arizona, club executives and agents are already back in business discussing potential deals. As they do so, they’ll have to take into account some of the following questions:
When will the off-season resume?
While some of the year’s top free agents signed before the lockout, many impact players remain available. Freddie Freeman, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Carlos Rodon, Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber are all still on the open market, lending plenty of intrigue to the days ahead.
So, when does free agency re-open? In conversations with agents and executives earlier in the week, there was no consensus. Some had expected a short freeze of perhaps a day followed by a re-opening of free agency. But enforcing a freeze would not have been easy, as backchanneling could still have happened during that window.
Instead, the frenzy began as soon as owners ratified the deal.
As one agent said: “Oh my.” Added another: "This will be like nothing we’ve seen ever before."
Beyond free agency, teams will also have the chance to talk trades with one another for the first time in more than three months. With the likes of Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt all available in trades, there will be lots of selection for motivated front offices.
But with a 12-team playoff field, fringe contenders may be less motivated to trade impact players. For instance, Jose Ramirez might look like the ideal trade chip on paper, but it’s equally possible the Guardians hold on and try to sneak back into the playoffs.
What about the rest of the off-season calendar?
Even beyond free agency and trades, there’s still further off-season administration to consider:
• The arbitration exchange date will be March 22, with hearings set to take place in-season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
• Teams including the Blue Jays have been limiting access to the minor-league players at their facilities in case a Rule 5 Draft occurs, but as of Thursday afternoon there was no clarity on when one might take place.
• MLB seeks to implement rule changes including a pitch clock, larger bases and restrictions on shifts but those updates aren't expected before 2023.
What will the schedule look like?
Players are expected to report for spring training in the coming days with March 13 considered the official report date. Meanwhile, spring games could be underway as soon as next weekend.
The regular season will begin on April 7 and end a few days later than originally planned (the Blue Jays’ opener comes a day later on April 8 at home against Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers). A few scheduled nine-inning double-headers will help make up for lost time, but the World Series will likely end later than usual given the late start and the expanded playoff field.
