Players arrive at spring training camps hours after MLB lockout ends

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo shared a hug, a grin and a few slaps on the back under the bright blue sky that the Cactus League is known for providing.

The bickering is over. Baseball is back.

A day after owners and players reached agreement to end a 99-day lockout, all 30 spring training camps opened across Arizona and Florida. Now the four-week sprint begins in earnest to get ready for an April 7 Opening Day.

«We've been waiting for this for a while,» Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas said before Friday's workout. «It's good we got everything done. I did my best to stay ready for this day, whenever it came. It happened fast.»

Sunday is the mandatory reporting date for players, but many were eager to get to work early.

Cleveland ace Shane Bieber limbered up in Guardians gear, Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. began taking grounders, and new St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol signed autographs as spring training for major leaguers finally began.

At the complex in Goodyear that Cleveland shares with the Cincinnati Reds, some big names got loose.

Bieber, the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner, and All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez were among the players sporting Guardians garb who went through light workouts following check-in physicals.

Bo Bichette and Jose Berrios were among those joining Guerrero at the Blue Jays' camp in Dunedin, Florida.

Rojas was among a large contingent of Diamondbacks players who reported to camp in Scottsdale. Like many players, he had been attending informal workouts at various fields in Arizona while labor talks intensified. The union had even set up a makeshift base in Mesa, Arizona, at a multipurpose sports