The saga that is the labor negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA took an unexpected turn Thursday when ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the league has requested the help of a federal mediator to help resolve the lockout.
Major League Baseball today requested immediate assistance of a federal mediator to help resolve the sport’s lockout, sources told ESPN. Under their request, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would help assist with the proceedings.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2022
The Athletic’s Evan Drellich confirmed the report and added that the Players Association would have to agree to the mediation as it is a voluntary process.