MLB lockout begins as owners and players remain at impasse

Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement officially expired midnight Thursday, and team owners voted to lock out players after failing to reach a new deal.

Shortly after midnight, the MLB Players Association called the shutdown a “dramatic measure.”

“It was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not just Players, but the game and industry as a whole,” the MLBPA said in a statement.

The MLBPA said, however, it remains determined to hash out a negotiated CBA that is “fair to all parties, and provides fans with the best version of the game we all love.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the lockout as “necessary,” saying the MLBPA’s vision for the league “would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive.”

League deputy commissioner Dan Halem and MLBPA negotiator Bruce Meyer met on Wednesday in Dallas. Still, talks ended with the sides remaining apart on issues. 

The labor stoppage is the ninth in MLB history and the first since a player strike in 1994. That labor dispute lasted 232 days, and MLB owners also canceled the 1994 World Series due to the strike.

In his letter, Manfred said, “we cannot allow an expired agreement to again cause an in-season strike and a missed World Series, like we experienced in 1994. We all owe you, our fans, better than that.”

But with another lockout in place, a $10 billion industry is now frozen.

Player transactions are halted, and clubs are now restricted from contacting players in the offseason until the lockout is lifted. In addition, MLB’s Winter Meetings, scheduled for Dec. 6-9 in Orlando, will be canceled.

The work stoppage comes during a free-agent frenzy that saw over $2 billion in deals negotiated. The deals include the Texas Rangers’ $325 million contract to land shortstop Corey Seager, and the New York Mets gave pitcher Max Scherzer a three-year, $130 million deal.

Still, players believe the current CBA doesn’t favor them; hence, they’re seeking changes.

The MLBPA wants to address service time rules that restrict most young players to teams for the first six years of their career. The union also wants a luxury tax overhaul to lure teams to spend more on player salaries without fear of harsh tax penalties.

In the current CBA,…