2 More Blue Jays Series Canceled As 2022 Opening Day Delayed Further

Note: Since the publication of this piece, Major League Baseball and the MLBPA have come to terms on a new CBA. Baseball is back, and you can read about that here.

The wait for Toronto Blue Jays baseball continues.

After another week without a new MLB collective bargaining agreement, two more series at the beginning of the 2022 season have been canceled amid baseball's lockout. For the Blue Jays, the canceled series include an April 8-10 set hosting the Texas Rangers and an April 11-14 series at the New York Yankees.

Talks once between the Major League Baseball's owners and the players association drifted late into the night Monday and pushed an imposed MLB deadline off another day. But, once again, no deal was reached.

The latest MLB deadline for further cancelations came a week after talks in Jupiter, Florida between the MLBPA and owners failed to produce a deal and following proposal exchanges in New York in recent days. The earliest 2022 opening day can now occur, following the most recent schedule amendments, is April 14th, per a league release. However, the Blue Jays schedule has been wiped through the 15th, leaving the first scheduled game April 15 against Oakland.

Barring any schedule reconfiguration, Tuesday's cancelations will cost recently departed Blue Jay Marcus Semien a regular-season return to Toronto in 2022, as the now-canceled April series was Texas' only scheduled trip to Canada.

After meeting on Monday with the union, the league also set Tuesday as a self-imposed deadline to play a full 162 games this year, and for the players to receive full pay and service time, per The Athletic's Evan Drellich. However, as Drellich notes, changes to pay, service, and the schedule cannot be "unilaterally chosen" and must be negotiated between the league and union. In CBA negotiations moving forward, the season length and player compensation will likely now become a significant point of discussion.

Both sides made steps towards the middle ground in core economic issues like the competitive balance tax, league-minimum salaries, and a bonus pool for pre-arb players, but caveats to proposals and other topics prevented a deal. One hurdle that sparked commissioner Rob Manfred's cancelation of games was disagreement over the implementation of an international draft.

As the two sides continue to negotiate towards a new CBA, major league spring training games have also been canceled through March 17th. Further delays to spring games could come soon, mirroring the rolling cancelation of regular season contests.

Until the lockout ends, players will remain unable to report to spring training or be in contact with their teams or coaches, franchises remain unable to trade or sign free agents, and baseball fans will remain without Major League Baseball.

H/T Evan Drellich