Baseball is back

Folks, our long national nightmare is over, and this time I don’t even mean that ironically. Baseball is back. Major League Baseball has been shut down since December 2 after the expiration of the CBA and the imposition of an owner-induced lockout, and to say things have dragged since then would be an understatement. There were no talks for six weeks, and then when the two sides finally did talk they remained miles apart for much of this time. But towards the end of February things finally started to pick up, and now it has culminated in a deal for a new CBA. Jeff Passan reported on Thursday that a tentative agreement is in place, and the official acceptance is just a formality at this point.

The specifics of the new CBA are not yet known in totality, but we will update this post when that information comes to light. But for now, it’s worth just savoring the fact that this lockout is finally over, and teams will shortly be reporting to camp ahead of a 162-game season. Opening Day will take place on April 7, and previously cancelled games will be made up in nine-inning doubleheaders to play a full schedule. Additionally, free agency will get back underway tonight. We’ll cover all of that in due time, but again, for now it’s time for a sigh of relief.

I’m just ready for real baseball talk again. You in?