The first casualty of the lockout is now known.
Major League Baseball has officially delayed the start of Spring Training games.
The Colorado Rockies were to have opened Cactus League play on Saturday, February 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now, no Major League team will play a Spring Training game until Saturday, March 5 at the earliest because of the ongoing labor dispute between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
On March 5, the Rockies are schedule to play the San Francisco Giants.
“We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of Spring Training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5,” 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."
Negotiations between the two sides will resume on Monday, February 21. There are reports that there will be multiple bargaining sessions per day. Rockies owner Dick Monfort will reportedly be among those attending the negotiations.
In order to be sure that the regular season begins on time, MLB has set a deadline of February 28 for the sides to agree on a new CBA.
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