Baseball is in a Time Out

⚾🌴 MLB spring training is officially delayed. Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report today to team sites in Arizona and Florida to gear up for the new season, but the ongoing lockout means players are still sitting at home.

• Representatives from the league and its Players Union met for the fifth time on Saturday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement, though both sides are still in dispute over many key issues.
• The MLB is proposing an expansion of the playoffs from 10 teams to 14, while the union is offering 12.
• The league is also proposing a lottery draft system for the bottom three teams each season, while the players want it to include the bottom eight.
• Both sides have already agreed in principle to expand the designated hitter (DH) to the National League for this season and all future seasons.

👀 Looking ahead… Players need roughly four weeks to fully prepare for the upcoming season. If the two sides can’t reach a deal by early next month, then Opening Day (March 31) will almost certainly be postponed.