Deadline passes without new CBA (updated with Manfred quotes)

The second deadline imposed by Major League Baseball has passed without the creation of a new collective bargaining agreement.

The MLB Players Association rejected the league's final offer and will move past 5 p.m. without a resolution. The vote was unanimous, according to reports, and came with approximately 40 minutes left on the clock.

Union reps exited Roger Dean Stadium, and presumably are leaving Florida.

The lockout reached its 90th day and the sport is now facing its first labor work stoppage in 27 years.

If MLB follows through on its post-deadline plan, opening day will be pushed back and games canceled in the regular season. The Orioles are supposed to play the Blue Jays on March 31 at Camden Yards.

Spring training also remains on hold, of course, with 10 exhibition games already lost and more apparently to come.

Per multiple reports, the offer included a pre-arbitration bonus pool of $30 million, an increase of $5 million from before, no change in the collective bargaining tax thresholds of $220 million/$220 million/$220 million/$224 million/$230 million, and a minimum salary beginning at $700,000 (up from $570,500 in 2021) and increasing to $740,000 through the course of the deal. The union wanted $725,000 as a starting point.

Alleged service time manipulation would be addressed by players receiving a full year if finishing first and second in Rookie of the Year voting - placing enormous pressure on the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

MLB removed all draft pick compensation for free agents, eliminating the qualifying offer system.

League officials Dan Halem, Morgan Sword and Pat Houlihan walked over to the players' side 3 1/2 hours after both parties began arriving at the complex. The discussions had been kept internal until 3 1/2 hours before the new deadline.

The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, with the players making a counter proposal. Big gaps remained on several economic issues.

An MLB official told the media, which has camped out in the parking lot and is coming off a 16-hour work day/night, that the league would make one final best offer. And that the union seemed to be striking a different tone today.

An apparent path to a new CBA had been blocked, or the optimism from last night was a mirage.

A union source told multiple reporters that the tone has been consistent since yesterday, when the players were far apart on key issues such as the CBT, minimum salary and pre-arbitration bonus pool.

The final offer arrived around 3:47 p.m. and was rejected almost immediately, nine consecutive days of bargaining unable to bring a favorable outcome.

Commissioner Rob Manfred will speak to the media at 5 p.m., likely to make official a delayed start to the season.

Update: Manfred confirmed that the first two series of the regular season will be canceled, saying that the calendar "dictates" it. The Orioles were supposed to play three games against the Blue Jays beginning March 31 at Camden Yards and three against the Red Sox beginning April 4 at Fenway Park.

The third series is slated for April 8-10 against the Rays at Tropicana Field. The home opener can't come before April 11 versus the Brewers.

"We worked hard to avoid an outcome that's bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs. I want to assure our fans that our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party," Manfred said before listing MLB's various concessions.

"The players came here for nine days, they worked hard, they tried to make a deal and I appreciate their effort. Our committee of club representatives committed to the process. They offered compromise after compromise and hung in past the deadline to make sure that we exhausted every possibility of reaching an agreement before the cancellation of games. So far, the parties have failed to achieve their mutual goal of reaching an agreement.

"Maybe the most unfortunate thing is that agreement, the one we've offered to our players, had offered huge benefits to our fans and to our players."

Manfred, who spoke for about 15 minutes, said rescheduling the lost games wasn't feasible. Players won't be paid for the canceled games.

Manfred said no new talks are scheduled and a new agreement isn't possible before Thursday, with the MLBPA heading home. He also said he believes the league made the last proposal in every area.

"You draw your own conclusion as to who ought to go next," he said.