Major League Baseball and the MLBPA remain far apart on core economic issues concerning the league’s next collective bargaining agreement. Their negotiations have progressed at a sluggish pace, raising serious doubts about the 2022 regular season starting on March 31 as originally scheduled. Earlier this week, however, commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed an important piece of news: the finished deal will include a universal designated hitter. All of a sudden, a major problem facing the Marlins has gone away.
Miami entered the lockout hoping for this outcome, as we can tell by their early offseason moves. The club acquired Avisaíl García via free agency on a hefty $53 million deal.