To ensure an on-time start to the 2022 regular season, MLB informed the MLBPA that a new collective bargaining agreement must be agreed upon by Feb. 28, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
It’s not exactly a hard deadline; the union could argue that the two sides have a small amount of time after Feb. 28 to strike a deal and get players in camps quick enough to get ready to start on March 31. If negotiations stretch into the end of the first week of March, however, it’s safe to assume that Opening Day will be delayed.