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If you go to the San Francisco Giants website, you’ll find no mention of the players on their team. With MLB locking out the players, teams are no longer able to mention the people that, well ... make up said team.
The Giants website has headlines about former players, like Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and, it pains me to type this, Buster Posey. At a time when Spring Training is supposed to already be under way, the Giants sixth headline on their website is this: 9 must-see Giants artifacts on display at Hall of Fame.
Riveting!
If you navigate your way to the link for the roster you will see a name of the players on the 40-man ... each accompanied by a gray placeholder of a face, as though it’s OK to know that Caleb Baragar exists, you just can’t know what he looks like. This must be what a food critic feels like. I hear that LaMonte Wade Jr. and Ruth Reichl bear a streaking resemblance.
However, while the Giants website screams to you that baseball is in a dystopian universe, the “schedule” button still encourages you to believe that baseball is right around the corner. Say, did you know that next Saturday the Giants have a split-squad Spring Training game against the Cincinnati Reds? Seems pretty cool! Why are we not discussing this more?
The pertinent part of the schedule page is Thursday, March 31. That’s when the Giants open the season with a 1:10 road game against the San Diego Padres.
That’s soon, and the website wants you to believe it’s also real, despite the lockout.
It might be, but it might not be. On Thursday, it was reported that MLB informed the Players Association that February 28 — just 10 days away — is the last possible day to agree on a new contract if the season is to start on time. That probably means that the actual last day is March 2 or 3, but the takeaway is the same: the clock is ticking.
Update: MLB told the MLBPA the date that a new CBA is needed by to start 2022 season on time is Feb. 28. Unclear if union agrees that is cut-off, but there cannot be much wiggle room, a few days at most. March 31 is opening day, and ST needs 4 weeks. @BNightengale mentioned 2/28.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 18, 2022
The sides are still wildly far apart, though it seems that both the owners and players are going to try hard to reach an agreement before revenue is jeopardized.
While exact plans are not finalized, MLB and the MLB Players Association intend to hold multiple bargaining sessions — perhaps every day — as early as Monday, sources told ESPN. Multiple owners and players expect to fly in for sessions leading up to MLB’s stated Feb. 28 deadline.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 18, 2022
Here’s hoping.
How many days has it been since the owners locked out the players?
Hey, what a pertinent topic. It’s been 80 days now.
May that number please not reach 90.
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