It's that time of year again Birmingham, the 2022 Major League Baseball season is expected to begin on April 7 2022 with the regular season ending on October 5 2022.

If you have been sitting in the dugouts or sidelines wondering what hobby to allocate yourself for this year then look no further than the one and only exciting sport of Baseball. 

Its not only good for your core strength, motor skills & health, here at The Floodgate we add a social element to Bleachers Baseball so you can have a good old laugh while exercising. So what you waiting for, book a session now. 

For those of you hardcore MLB fans, we have included some more details on the Lockout, Schedule & Rule Changes below; 

The start of the season has been delayed by a lockout of players, which commenced on December 2, 2021, following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).^[2] On March 10, 2022, MLB and the MLBPA reached a deal on a five-year CBA, with Opening Day scheduled for April 7 (delayed from its originally-planned March 31), and a full 162-game schedule. Under the new CBA, there will be a universal designated hitter, and the postseason will also be expanded to 12 teams.

In November 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced their new team name, the Cleveland Guardians.^[3] The 2022 MLB All-Star Game is scheduled to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.^[4]

Lockout

On December 2, 2021, MLB owners voted unanimously to enact a lockout upon the expiration of the 2016 collective bargaining agreementbetween the league and the players' union. Issues raised between the league and union involved compensation for young players, as well as limitations on tanking to receive higher selections in the MLB draft.

The 2021–22 lockout was the first MLB work stoppage since the 1994–95 strike. It instituted a transaction freeze, including the postponement of the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft. It would be the first year since 1920 to not have a major league phase of the Rule 5 draft, though the minor league phase will still go ahead as scheduled.^[5]

On March 10, 2022, almost 100 days after the beginning of the lockout, MLB and the MLBPA reached a deal on a new, five-year CBA.^[6] Players will begin reporting to training camps on March 11, with spring training beginning on March 17, and Opening Day scheduled for April 7.^[6] The league plans to play a full, 162-game season, and games displaced by the delayed start will be rescheduled.^[7][6]

Changes in the new CBA include a pre-arbitration bonus pool for eligible young players, increased minimum salaries (increasing from $700,000 to $780,000 over the length of the deal), a draft lottery to determine the top six selections in the draft, the establishment of an international draft, and the establishment of a Joint Competition Committee that, in 2023, will oversee the adoption of future rule changes (including base sizes and pitch clocks among others). The National League will adopt the designated hitter on a permanent basis, after having previously used it on a temporary basis during the shortened 2020 season, while the postseason will be expanded to 12 teams.^[6][8]

Schedule

Major League Baseball released their 2022 regular season schedule on August 4, 2021. As has been the case since 2013, all teams play their four division opponents 19 times each for a total of 76 games, play six or seven games against each of the other ten same-league opponents for a total of 66 games, and 20 interleague games. Interleague play will feature AL East vs. NL Central, AL Central vs. NL West, and AL West vs. NL East.^[9][10]

The MLB at Field of Dreams game is planned to return for a second year, featuring the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at the purpose built ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa on August 11.^[11]

The annual MLB Little League Classic is scheduled to feature the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 21.^[12]

Rule changes

On March 10, Major League Baseball announced the following rule changes for the 2022 season:^[13]

• The temporary rule for the 2020 and 2021 seasons that had doubleheaders played as seven-inning games was repealed.
• The National League will adopt the designated hitter full-time. The NL previously adopted the rule temporarily in 2020 before reverting for the 2021 season.
• Tie-breaker games at the end of the season have been eliminated and replaced with statistical tiebreakers.
• The playoff system has been changed:
  • Twelve teams will qualify for the postseason, with the division winners seeded 1 through 3, and three wild cards seeded 4 through 6 in their respective leagues.
  • The top two seeds in each league will receive a bye into the Division Series.
  • The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild card teams, each seeded according to regular season record, will play a best-of-three Wild Card round, with the higher seed hosting all three games. The 3 seed will play the 6 seed, and the 4 seed will play the 5 seed.
  • There is no re-seeding of the bracket. The 1 seed will play the winner of the 4 versus 5 seed series, and the 2 seed will play the winner of the 3 versus 6 seed series in the divisional round.

On March 22, MLB introduced an extra set of temporary rules for 2022:^[14]

• If a team voluntarily waives the designated hitter spot so that its pitcher can be in the batting order, that pitcher can remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are done pitching. This rule was colloquially named the "Ohtani rule" after rare two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
• The rule establishing an automatic runner^[15] on second base to start each extra inning in regular season games, previously repealed on March 10, was reinstated.
• Rosters are to be expanded from 26 players to 28 players for the month of April to account for the shortened spring training.