MLB & Players Association Reach Tentative Agreement For Baseball Return

Baseball is finally back after a lockout that stretched across 99 days. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on Thursday afternoon.

The two sides came to an agreement on a new labour deal carving a way to begin regular season by next month. While the deal still needs to be ratified by the both parties but that’s just a formality the outcome is already known.

According to Jesse Rodgers from ESPN, players can report to spring-training camps as early as tomorrow. Transactions will unfreeze as soon the ratification is completed which is expected to come as early as today.

The liberation of the transaction freeze means free agents will sign, and trades can happen. Manfred and the owners imposed freeze on transaction on Dec. 2 after the previous CBA expired, but now as they are just about to be lifted we will see several signings and trade before the players return to training camps.

The new collective bargaining agreement includes higher minimum salary in which governing players with less than three years of major league service will jump from $570,500 to $700,000, growing to $780,000, and a bonus pool worth $50 million will be distributed as a pre-arbitration for the top young players.

As the baseball is on it way to get back into business it is expected to return in early April.