Spring Training After Lockout

Updated: Apr 18, 2022

PEORIA, CA - In December Major League Baseball locked out players. At the time Fans worried this would affect the upcoming season. Angels Fan, Staci Miller says she was bummed hearing news of the lockout, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic stopped fans from attending earlier games. “Baseball is my favorite sport, so I don’t want to be in a world where we don’t have baseball and there were years where we couldn’t come so we can now, and then there’s a lockout for all different reasons.”

Photo Credit: Brenna White

After 99 days, the lockout ended and once the MLB announced a deal had been made, Spring Training was set to begin. The MLB and the MLB Players Association needed to agree on a new CBA deal for this to all be possible.

The lockout was enacted on Dec. 2 because that is when the previous CBA deal expired. This was the first MLB lockout since 1994-95 when the players went on strike. However, in the beginning, it was clear that the league was not meeting with the players association as often as people would have hoped. Spring training was supposed to begin in mid-February, which meant that a deal needed to happen as soon as possible.

In February commissioner Rob Manfred spoke publicly for the first time since the lockout had begun to let the fans know that "the status of spring training is no change." That did not last long as pitchers and catchers were supposed to report to teams as early as Feb. 15. Then on Feb. 18 the MLB officially announced that all spring training games through at least March 5 would be postponed.

As all hope was lost for most fans and the days just kept going by without any news of a new deal, less than a month later the deal was announced. The MLB announced a deal was made and after 99 days, the lockout ended. Spring Training was set to begin and it was also confirmed that there would be 162 games. Garth Warren says his favorite part of Spring Training is spending time with his family. “Being out here in the 80 - 90-degree weather and playing baseball in the grass and watching some Major League Baseball — yeah it’s awesome.”

Out in Arizona, the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, and many more teams play games before the regular season starts. Miller says she’s feeling great having baseball back because she isn’t at work. “That’s one of the best parts about spring training is - my boss knows, we take time off when it’s spring training and it’s just the beginning of summer, it’s the beginning of baseball."

Once Spring Training ends, Opening Day will be on April 7th so mark your calendars baseball fans.