The deadline for an entire 162 game season is quickly approaching. Major League Baseball has confirmed that if no new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is signed by Monday, February 28, 2022, regular-season games will be canceled until a deal is reached. Games will not be rescheduled, and the players will not be paid, nor will they be recouped for the games they would lose. However, keep in mind that the league can still operate under the expired CBA while negotiating for a new CBA.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the Major League Baseball (MLB) met for five hours at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, where the meetings are held until at least Monday, February 28, 2022. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, MLB’s only proposal of the day is to add $10,000 to the league minimum salary per year. The minimum salary under the expired CBA was $570,500. The MLBPA wants the minimum salary to be $775,000. The league initially proposed $630,000 for the league minimum salary, but today the league proposed the league minimum salary to be $640,000, which is $10,000 more per year than the previous proposal. Therefore, the league minimum salary for 2022 would be $640,000, and in 2026, the league minimum salary would rise to $680,000.

To put things into perspective, the National Football League plays seventeen games. The league minimum salary is $660,000, National Basketball Association plays 82 games, the league minimum salary is $925,000, National Hockey League plays 82 games, and the league minimum is $750,000. Major League Baseball plays 162 games, and the league minimum salary is $570,500.

MLB players took to Twitter to express their frustration with the threats of the loss of games. Alex Wood, a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, said, “It’s fascinating MLB setting a hard deadline to play a full season for Monday. They locked us out. Had barely any contact for two months post-lockout. Have yet to make a single good faith offer to even initiate real conversations to get a deal done. Just make a real offer.”

Jack Flaherty, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, also took to Twitter to express his frustration with the MLB. “Let’s just get this straight. We are currently being locked out … they did not meet with us for a month once this lockout was instituted … now we are being threatened that games will be missed if we don’t make a deal by Monday.”

The next meeting between the MLB and the MLBPA is scheduled for Thursday, February 24, 2022, at Roger Dean Stadium, where the MLBPA is expected to make a counter-proposal.