Over the off season after the 2021 MLB season, Major League Baseball went into a lockout. This means that teams were not allowed to make deals or trades. Recently, with time running out before the scheduled start of the 2022 MLB season, the lockout was ended and the season is set to begin on Thursday.

The reason for the lockout was because MLB couldn’t agree on things involving players and owners. The commissioner, Rob Manfred, called the lockout to gain leverage over the players and owners in negotiations. Manfred wasn’t worried that the season wouldn’t start, saying, “I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular season schedule.”

Players wanted provisions in place to prevent them from being held back in the minors too long. Some prospects sign at a young age and are held in the minor leagues for way too long of a period. This, you could say, is taking advantage of the players.

The managers wanted a shorter regular season and a longer postseason. The managers wanted the regular season to be only 154 games so there is less wear on the players and to give more room for a longer postseason. The reason they want a longer postseason is to bring in more money. The teams bring in significantly more money during postseason games than regular season games due to TV revenue.

While the two sides didn’t agree on everything, they were able to reach a compromise and the season will, in fact, begin this week.