After a 24-hour whirlwind of reports, the MLB season will officially be delayed. Just an hour before the 5:00 deadline, the Major League Baseball Players Association unanimously declined the final offer from MLB owners.

A deal seemed likely just 24 hours ago. Players and owners met multiple times on Monday, meeting for a total of 16 hours down in Jupiter, Florida. The original reports sensed that the two sides were inching closer to an agreement; however, that turned out not to be the case. So what exactly went wrong?

MLB’s Final Proposal

Bob Nightengale announced that Major League Baseball would make one final offer before the clock struck 5:00, and this was their proposal. The biggest ongoing issue with the Collective Bargaining Agreement was the Competitive Balance Tax, also known as the “Luxury Tax”. The players wanted a steady increase over the next five years from the jump, and the owners continued to decline that offer, even in their final proposal.

It almost seems like the owners didn’t want a deal to be made. The owners knew from the start that the player’s main concern was the luxury tax. After three months of continuous offers from the players, the MLB stayed exactly where they started and didn’t budge.

Following the official report, Rob Manfred spoke to the media on ESPN and confirmed that a deal was not made between the sides. Manfred then said that the first two series of the season would be canceled. While the league Manfred “runs” is crumbling before our own eyes, the commissioner sees no problem with what’s going on.

Both sides are truly at fault. Negotiating is about coming to an agreement that benefits both sides, not about getting just your way. The owners didn’t cooperate with the player’s requests, and the players didn’t budge from their original mark. Some numbers were agreed upon, but the bigger issues still had major gaps, even in the final proposal, making it seem like no true progress was ever made.

Now that the deadline has been met and games have already been canceled, there is no timetable for the occurrence of the next meeting. Multiple players that represented the MLBPA have already left Florida, heading home for who knows how long.

The MLBPA put out a statement, in regards to today’s situation. They expressed their frustration with Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball. Along with their frustrations, they also expressed their side of the story, saying “players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised.”

This is what we do know at this time. A deal was not made today, and the deadline is over. Opening Day, along with many other games, has officially been canceled.

Mandatory Credit: ESPN