MLB cancels first week of games as labor dispute continues

Baseball

Published: 03 Mar. 2022, 12:53

MLB cancels first week of games as labor dispute continues

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays walks to the dugout in the third inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 11, 2021. [AFP/YONHAP]

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that the first week of the 2022 MLB season is canceled after the breakdown of labor negotiations between owners and players.

The majors have been in lockout since Dec. 2 last year, when the collective bargaining agreement between the players’ union and owners ended. Over the last three months, the two sides have failed to come close to reaching a new deal, with disagreements over issues like pay and the playoffs.

That continued failure to find common ground came to a head on Monday, when Manfred canceled the first two series of the 2022 season. It marks the first time regular season games have been canceled because of a labor issue since a player strike in the 1995-95 season.

For the three Korean players currently under contract with major league clubs — Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays, Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays and Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres — the delay means more frustration and uncertainty and possibly a loss of income.

Major league players' pay checks start when the regular season begins. With the start of the season canceled and no plan to reschedule those games, players are likely to lose six games of pay — estimated at over $700,000 for Ryu and over $100,000 for Choi. The players union contests the idea that players won't be paid for those games.

But while Ryu, Choi and Kim Ha-seong face continued uncertainty and potentially some financial impact, free agent pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is in a far more difficult position.

Kim Kwang-hyun pauses on the mound before throwing the first pitch in the sixth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs on Oct. 2, 2021. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim Kwang-hyun joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 after a hugely successful career in the KBO that saw him named MVP at age 20 and win four Korean Series with the SK Wyverns. After two seasons in the majors, Kim Kwang-hyun has a solid MLB career 2.97 ERA with 10 wins and seven losses, solid numbers that suggest he'd be a reliable addition to any rotation.

Kim Kwang-hyun ended the 2021 season without an offer to return to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2022 season, but he still remains a serious major league prospect. He could still be an option for the Cardinals, as well as a number of other clubs.

But as long as the major league remains in lockout, Kim Kwang-hyun is stuck without a contract, a club or any idea what his immediate future involves.

With the labor dispute now impacting the start of the season, players like Kim Kwang-hyun are left in the dark as clubs are unable to sign new players until a new agreement is in place. Some big names have already decided to take the leap to other leagues — Yasiel Puig joining the Kiwoom Heroes, for example — rather than wait and gamble on a new MLB contract arriving in the spring.

Kim Kwang-hyun appears to be willing to wait. The Korean left-hander has been suggested as a possible FA pick for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Minnesota Twins, the Cardinals and a number of other teams, but he’ll have no way of knowing if any of those are the real deal until lockout ends.

Like most major leaguers, Kim Kwang-hyun has had to take training into his own hands over the last few months, spending the majority of that time in Korea and even reconnecting with some KBO players before spring training started here.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]