MLB commissioner Rob Manfred Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on lockout: 'It's not a good thing for the sport'

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/2/21

In the wake of the Major League Baseball lockout, commissioner Rob Manfred held a press conference on Thursday morning. The lockout was instituted after the 2016-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB owners and the players’ union expired at midnight Eastern Time.

Manfred acknowledged that he was aware of the negative impact the lockout would have across the sport.

Rob Manfred on the lockout: "It's not a good thing for the sport ...we understand its bad for the business.''
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 2, 2021

Manfred on lockout: “It’s not a good thing for the sport. It’s not something that we undertake lightly. We understand it’s bad for our business. We took it out of a desire to drive the process forward to an agreement now.” Said MLB didn’t sense urgency, wanted to apply pressure.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) December 2, 2021

Per MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco, the league was not "under a mandate" to lock the players out, as even without a CBA, the offseason could've proceeded with trades and free agency signings. The last two winters without a CBA were in 1993-1994 and during the player's strike of 1994-1995, but offseason business still proceeded.

"There’s been little expectation MLB wouldn’t institute a lockout once this CBA expired, however. Locking out in the absence of an agreement has become the typical practice in other professional sports leagues, as management hasn’t wanted to afford players the choice whether to go on strike at a later date," Franco wrote. "The players eventually went on strike during the 1994 season, for example, spurred on by ownership’s imposition of a salary cap. The sides didn’t reach a new agreement that year, and that season’s World Series was ultimately cancelled."

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, one of the items that Manfred brought up on Thursday morning was that the union was seeking a $100 million reduction in revenue sharing.

Evan Drellich reported that Manfred said that no upcoming meetings are currently scheduled with the MLBPA, but he holds optimism.