MLBPA Says Players, Fans Are 'Disgusted' by Rob Manfred, MLB Owners Amid Lockout

The Major League Baseball Players Association has responded to the owners' decision to cancel games at the start of the regular season amid the ongoing lockout. 

In a statement issued Tuesday, the MLBPA said players and fans are "disgusted" by the tactics taken by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the team owners:

Tony Clark, MLBPA executive director, told reporters during a press conference that the sport "has suffered damage for a while now."

"The game has changed," Clark added. "The game has been manipulated. … Players have been commoditized in a way that’s really hard to explain in the grand scheme."

After the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement before MLB's self-imposed 5 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline, Manfred announced MLB was canceling the first two series of the 2022 regular season. 

Tuesday marked the ninth straight day of in-person negotiations between the two sides. 

Per The Athletic's Evan Drellich, there was a significant gap in the competitive balance tax proposals from the owners and the players:

ESPN's Jeff Passan added the league's final offer on Tuesday included a $5 million increase on the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $25 to $30 million and raising the minimum salary to $700,000 with a $10,000 increase each season. 

Tuesday's announcement by Manfred came after a marathon 16.5-hour negotiating session on Monday. 

"Not a particularly productive day today," Manfred told reporters during his Tuesday press conference announcing the cancellation of games.

With the two sides at an impasse, it remains unclear when they will meet again. Canceling the first two series means the earliest the 2022 regular season can begin is April 6. 

This marks the first work stoppage for MLB during Manfred's tenure as commissioner (since Jan. 25, 2015). 

The last work stoppage in the league was the player strike that lasted 232 days from Aug. 12, 1994-April 2, 1995. The 232-day stoppage is the longest in MLB history and resulted in the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. 

Tuesday marks the 89th day of the owner-imposed lockout that began on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET.