Will The Rays 2022 Season Games Be Affected By The MLB Lockdown?

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Fans of the Tampa Bay Rays won't hear much of anything from their St. Petersburg team after Major League Baseball implemented a lockout Thursday, multiple outlets have reported.

A collective bargaining agreement between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association expired at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the MLB Players Association couldn't negotiate an agreement. This is the first work stoppage since 1994-1995, ending more than 26 years of labor peace, MLB.com reported.

The last collective bargaining agreement between the two organizations occurred in 2016. It addressed free agency and arbitration. What does that mean now that it has expired? "No free-agent signings, no use of team facilities—in fact, no contact of any kind between team and player is allowed until a new agreement is reached," MLB said.

The Rays website has removed all photos of its players, and some players have removed pictures of their faces on their social media accounts such as Twitter in response to the lockout. The lockout good effect the Rays 2022 season if an agreement hasn't been reached then. That could mean no spring training games and no regular season games.

Manfred sent out a letter to the league's fans Thursday that said the MLB believes that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season.

"We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time," the letter said. "This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions."

He goes on to say there is a path to a fair agreement, and they will find it.