It's done. It's finally over.
Major League Baseball is finally back to Petco Park, after an exhausting time-frame of waiting for owners and players to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement that allows the league to play-out a full season.
Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred says, that he is glad this has come to an end is looking forward to the exciting new season coming this year, and expressed that he make it a "commitment" to work even more closely with MLBPA executive director Tony Clark for the better of the league.
"One of the things that I'm supposed to do is promote a good relationship with our players," Manfred said during a news conference Wednesday. "I've tried to do that. I think that I have not been successful in that. I think that it begins with small steps. It's why I picked the phone up after the ratification and called Tony and expressed my desire to work with him. It's gonna be a priority of mine moving forward to try to make good on the commitment I made to him on the phone."
Tony Clark, MLBPA executive director, said that their union had to endure the second-longest lockout in its union history, but that this new progress being made will not only improve the rights of current players and their benefits, but the future generations to come as well.
"Our union endured the second-longest work stoppage in its history to achieve significant progress in key areas that will improve not just current players' rights and benefits, but those of generations to come," Clark wrote in a statement. "Players remain engaged and unified from beginning to end, and in the process re-energized in our fraternity." he added.
Additional new changes within the MLB CBA includes:
• A 12-team postseason, with the top two division winners earning first-round byes.
• A 45-day window to impose rule changes, decided on by a new joint committee, beginning in 2023.
• A universal designated hitter.
• A six-team draft lottery, implemented with hopes of curtailing tanking.
• A provision that prevents teams from optioning eligible players more than five times within a season.
• Two measures aimed at limiting service-time manipulation: a full year of service time awarded to players who finish within the top two in respective Rookie of the Year voting, and draft picks awarded to teams that promote players on Opening Day who finish among the top vote-getters for major awards.
• Additional advertising through patches on jerseys and decals on helmets.
As for the San Diego Padres, they continue to be a force to be reckon-with in the following years to come.
Adding someone like Nick Castellanos to the roster, to a team that already has Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers and Jake Cronenworth, adds a much more powerful core to the San Diegan line-up.
Castellano landed a four-year deal with the San Diego, which would have the Padres bring in a player who hit .309/.362/.576 along with 38 doubles, 34 total home runs and 100 RBI in the year 2021, before opting out of his deal with the Cincinnati Reds to make his way to Petco Park.
According to sources, players are expected to report to spring training facilities this coming Sunday, but it may take longer for some as a result of complications involving some of their visas or other international travel barriers.
