MLB Cancels First Week Of Season, D-Backs' Opening Road Trip

PHOENIX, AZ —The Arizona Diamondbacks' six-game, season-opening road trip to Milwaukee and Los Angeles was canceled Tuesday along with 85 other Major League Baseball regular-season games after the owners and players were unable to agree on a contract and bring the management-imposed lockout to an end.

The announcement was made Tuesday evening by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who said the first two series for each of the 30 MLB teams would be scrapped, and that each team would play 156 games instead of 162.

It was the first time in 27 years —since the start of the 1995 season —the MLB is losing regular-season games to a work stoppage.

"We exhausted every possibility of reaching an agreement before the cancellation of games," Manfred said during a news conference in Jupiter, Florida, according to the Associated Press. "We want baseball!"

As of now, the D-backs' home opener remains April 7 against the San Diego Padres. But it also could fall victim to the lockout if the owners and players still are unable to agree on a contract to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expired Dec. 1.

Businesses throughout the Valley already are reeling due to the cancellation of multiple weeks of Spring Training games, and downtown businesses would suffer further revenue losses if the Diamondbacks begin losing home games at Chase Field.

The owners locked out the players on Dec. 2, after the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

The league announced the cancellation of the first week of Spring Training on Feb. 18, saying no games would begin before March 5. Last Friday, it said no games would be played before March 7.

The league believes players need a month of Spring Training in order to prepare for the season, though what Spring Training would look like at this point, even if an agreement were reached, remains unclear.

The talks between the owners and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) intensified on Feb. 21 in Jupiter, Florida.

According to the AP, the two sides made some progress in recent days, but remained far apart on key economic issues like: luxury tax thresholds, the size of a new bonus pool for pre-arbitration players and minimum salaries.

On Tuesday morning, the league sent the players what it called a "best offer." The players' union reportedly held a Zoom call with 30 to 40 players to discuss the proposal, which it then rejected.

"Against that backdrop of growing revenues and record profits for owners of the league, players seek and deserve nothing more than fundamental fairness," Tony Clark, head of the MLBPA, told the AP.

After the breakdown of talks, both the owners and players said they were leaving town. No date is scheduled to resume bargaining, according to the AP.

At 5:07 Eastern Tuesday, Manfred made his announcement about the cancellation of regular-season games.

"My deepest hope is we get an agreement quickly," Manfred said, according to ESPN. "I'm really disappointed we didn't make an agreement."