MLB Labor peace: Detroit Tigers baseball is back starting on April 8th

After a 99-day lockout, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players association came to an agreement today. Detroit Tigers baseball is back.

Detroit Tigers baseball will happen in 2022. Today, as reported by multiple sources, the owners and the MLB Players association have come to an agreement. There will be a full 162-game schedule and it appears that spring training will start on March 18th.

March 13th could be the day that pitchers and catchers report, but regardless, spring training down in Lakeland will begin.

Details on the deal

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, here is what will be new for 2022.

• The post-season will expand to 12 teams
• Player uniforms will have advertising on both the uniforms and the helmets.
• The NL will now feature a DH
• A 45-day window for MLB to change the rules.
• A draft lottery to prevent tanking
• Limiting the amount of times a player can be optioned to the minors

Expect a fury of activity tonight on the free agent market

The Detroit Tigers are still looking for a starting pitcher and some bullpen help. They could also add another outfielder to shore up the depth.

Three questions will be answered in the next few weeks:

1. Will Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene head north with the Tigers?
2. Does Issac Paredes have a spot on the roster?
3. Will the Tigers pull off a trade versus signing a free agent to acquire talent?

I wrote about Sonny Gray a few weeks back about being a trade target that could fit the back end of the rotation, but it will depend on what the Reds will want for the right-hander. If you look across the AL Central, the Tigers were the most active, but don’t be too surprised to see the Twins become active in the next few days.

The expectation is that Detroit will continue to add in this short spring training. We will keep you posted as news breaks.