For a third straight year, the Rockies home opener will be irregular.
Major League Baseball canceled two more series on Wednesday in wake of the ongoing lockout, wiping out Colorado’s scheduled home opener on April 8 against the Dodgers and the following road series against the Rangers. The Rockies season and home opener is now slated for April 14 against the Cubs, though that date is likely to get pushed back with the cancellation of more games.
The league and the players association have been unable to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, with Wednesday marking Day 98 of the lockout. MLBPA called the owners’ decision to cancel more games “completely unnecessary” after commissioner Rob Manfred canceled the first two series of the season on March 1.
Coors Field hasn’t hosted a normal home opener since 2019. No fans were allowed at the 2020 home opener for the pandemic-shortened 60-game season, while last year, the Rockies had a capacity variance of 42.6% (21,363 of 50,144) for their April 1 home opener.
In a statement, the Rockies said single-game ticket holders for the scuttled opening series against the Dodgers will automatically receive a full refund. Season ticket holders will be contacted directly and can visit Rockies.com/tickets for credit and refund details.
Core economic issues continue to be at the center of the lockout negotiations between the MLB and MLBPA, including the luxury tax and major-league minimum salary. Both sides negotiated deep into the night on Tuesday trying to work out a deal to avoid the cancellation of more games.
But the international draft remains a major sticking point. MLB wants to tie it to the removal of draft-pick compensation, where teams are penalized draft picks after signing premier free agents. The players are opposed to all three variations of the owners’ international draft proposals, and the union’s counteroffer to the owners on Wednesday was met with the cancellation of more games.
This latest fracture between the two sides is noteworthy because the failure to reach a deal this week means the season won’t be a full 162 games, and thus players are facing lost pay and service time. All previously scheduled spring training games in Arizona and Florida are now likely to be canceled, too, though players will need an amended spring training prior to whenever the regular season does begin.
“Our top priority remains the finalization of a fair contract for all players, and we will continue negotiations toward that end,” the union’s statement said.
