Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball has threatened to cancel regular-season games if the league and its players' union fail to reach a new labor agreement by the end of Monday.
ESPN, MLB Media and Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that league owners have set a Feb. 28 deadline for a new deal to be worked out to ensure that the regular season begins as scheduled on March 31.
Without an agreement by that hard deadline, the season won't consist of a full 162 games. According to the outlets, salaries won't be paid for those lost games.
"A deadline is a deadline," an MLB spokesperson told The Athletic. "Missed games are missed games. Salary will not be paid for those games."
Related
MLB, which initially informed the Players Association of the deadline on Feb. 12, finally went public with the date after the third consecutive day of labor negotiations Wednesday ended with little movement.
Players declined to accept Monday as a deadline, according to reports, and suggested that any missed games could be made up as part of doubleheaders later in the season. MLB said it won't agree to that method.
The MLBPA told the league that if games are canceled and salaries are lost, clubs shouldn't expect players to agree to the owners' proposals for postseason expansion and advertisements on uniforms and helmets.
Bargaining talks are scheduled to resume Thursday. Both sides previously said they are prepared to meet through Monday.
Baseball's work stoppage was in its 84th day on Wednesday, and the three bargaining sessions this week increased the total on core economic issues to just nine since the lockout began Dec. 2.
Spring training workouts had been set to begin Feb. 16, but MLB has already canceled the first week of the exhibition games as the sides' fruitless negotiations continue.
