Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball announced Friday that spring training games won't start until at least March 5 due to the ongoing labor dispute between MLB and the players' union.
"We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of spring training games," the league said in a statement. "All 30 clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands.
"We are committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to each side. On Monday, members of the owners' bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time."
The owners locked out the players on Dec. 2 after the previous collective bargaining agreement expired. To this point, negotiations for a new agreement have produced little results.
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The latest bargaining session between the two sides broke off after just 15 minutes Thursday, according to multiple reports. The 15-minute meeting was the sixth negotiating session on core economic issues since the lockout started.
Talks between MLB officials and the MLBPA should intensify next week as the deadline to begin the regular season on time looms. The league previously said it would prefer about four weeks of spring training, meaning camps would need to start by early March for the season to begin on schedule.
Spring training camps were scheduled to open this week, with games beginning Feb. 26. Instead, both sides will focus their energy on next week's meetings, with negotiations set for Monday.
"MLB announced today that it 'must' postpone the start of spring training games. This is false," the MLBPA said in a statement Friday. "Nothing requires the league to delay the start of spring training, much like nothing required the league's decision to implement the lockout in the first place.
"Despite these decisions by the league, players remain committed to the negotiating process."
Fans who purchased tickets to spring training games that won't be played have an option for a full refund, MLB said.
