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Baseball is back: Here are the new MLB CBA details, including a 12-team playoff

By Josh Hill

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of the stadium before the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on September 26, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of the stadium before the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on September 26, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /
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Baseball is back, and now that the lockout is over it’s time to parse through the new MLB CBA details and what it all means. 

It took a few months and some games were lost in the process, but baseball is back.

The MLB and MLBPA ended its 99-day lockout on Thursday, agreeing to a new CBA and ending a work stoppage that pushed back Opening Day and caused the delay of the new season.

But all is well again, or at least well enough that the league is now unlocked.

Fans won’t have to wait much longer than usual for Opening Day to arrive. The new date to circle on your calendar is April 7th, with Spring Training opening on March 18th.

Not everything is returning to normal, however. As part of the agreement to end the lockout, players and owners agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that adds a handful of new wrinkles to the National Pasttime.

MLB CBA Details

The negotiations were laborious and took a lot out of everyone involved — from the fans to the players who now have to abide by the new CBA — but the dust is settling on what new changes were made.

Among the most notable: the expansion of the playoffs and the installment of a draft lottery system.

  • A 45-day window for MLB to implement rules changes — among them a pitch clock, ban on shifts, and larger bases in the 2023 season
  • The National League adopting the designated hitter
  • A draft lottery implemented with the intent of discouraging tanking
  • Draft-pick inducements to discourage service-time manipulation
  • Limiting the number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one season
  • An expanded postseason to 12 teams

Note: This post is about a story that is still breaking. It will be updated with new information as it becomes available. 

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