TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Baseball Is Likely Back After MLB, Players Reach Tentative Deal

Sources told ESPN that the two sides were set to ratify a deal, ending a 99-day lockout, the second longest in the league’s history.

Major League Baseball and its players’ union have reached a tentative agreement on its new labor deal, according to a Thursday report by ESPN. The deal, which apparently has yet to be formally ratified, was reached after a 99-day lockout, the second-longest work stoppage in league history. Talks seemed to have stalled earlier this week, with reports that the two sides were “deadlocked” on issues like luxury tax, minimum salaries, and the size of the bonus pool for pre-arbitration players. Under the reported terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, delivered by the league to the union, the minimum salary granted to players with less than three years of league experience will hike to $700,000; the bonus pool will be fixed at $50 million; and player uniforms will feature advertising, like patches and decals, for the first time. It’s unclear if the upcoming season, canceled last week amid bristling tensions, will begin as previously planned on March 31 but ratification, a reported formality, would likely clear its way forward.