Max Scherzer and Andrew Miller lead the delegation of Major League Baseball players on the final day of negotiations to end the lockout before the deadline set by the owners to save the start of the season, 31 March, and to hold a full schedule of 162 matches.
The two sides met at Roger Dean Stadium at 10 a.m., three hours earlier than usual. It’s the eighth straight day of negotiations at the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla.
The lockout is in its 89th day. No time has been set to end this negotiating session, which suggests that it could continue late if both parties see an agreement within reach.
The two camps are still far apart, but the pressure is increasing. Players would lose 20.5 million in wages for each day lost in the season, according to a study by the Associated Press. The 30 teams would lose significant sums which are more difficult to assess.
Monday was chosen as the deadline, as commissioner Rob Manfred assessed that at least 28 days of practice are needed before the start of the season. The union hasn’t said whether it agrees with that assessment, and Major League Baseball has shortened the length of camps to as little as three weeks in the past.
Baseball’s ninth labor dispute, the first since 1995, began Dec. 2. Pre-season preseason games were due to start on Saturday and have already been canceled until March 7.
