MLB cancels opening day as league, players fail to reach agreement to end lockout

Major League Baseball has cancelled opening day, with commissioner Rob Manfred announcing Tuesday the sport will lose regular-season games over a labour dispute for the first time in 27 years after acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management's deadline.

After the sides made progress during 13 negotiating sessions over 16-½ hours Monday, the league send the players' association a "best and final offer" Tuesday on the ninth straight day of negotiations.

Players rejected that offer, setting the stage for MLB to follow through on its threat to cancel opening day on March 31.

At 5 p.m. ET, Manfred issued a statement that many fans had been dreading: Nothing to look forward to on opening day, normally a spring standard of renewal for fans throughout Canada and the U.S.

The ninth work stoppage in baseball history will be the fourth that causes regular season games to be cancelled, leaving Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium as quiet in next month as Joker Marchant Stadium and Camelback Park have been during the third straight disrupted spring training.

The sides made progress during 16-½ hours of bargaining Monday, then exchanged new offers Tuesday.

"We thought there was a path to a deal last night and that both sides were closing in on the major issues," an MLB official said before the last offer was transmitted to the union, speaking on the condition he not be identified by name.

"They couldn't make us a CBT proposal [competitive balance tax] last night, so we agreed to extend the deadline to exhaust every option.

"The MLBPA had a decidedly different tone today and made proposals inconsistent with the prior discussions. We will be making our best offer before the 5 p.m. deadline."

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