The Atlanta Braves kicked off a World Series trophy tour Tuesday amid uncertainty over when the upcoming season will actually begin.
Negotiations between baseball’s players and owners on a new labor deal are still going on, more than two months after a lockout began.
At a lunchtime celebration in Midtown Atlanta, Braves fans lined up to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy.
Among them was Mike Moore, who says he’s hoping to see baseball soon.
“As soon as one side or the other starts losing money is a great incentive to get the season going,” said Moore. “So I think they’ll do it.”
The Braves’ spring training schedule was set to begin Feb. 26. Now, it’s increasingly likely the first pitch of 2022 may have to wait.
But the Braves are moving ahead with a 151-stop trophy tour, representing the number of years in the history of the franchise. The team captured its first World Series title in 26 years in early November with a 4-games-to-2 win over the Houston Astros.
One month later, Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expired and the owners locked out the players. It’s baseball’s first work stoppage since a players’ strike in 1994 wiped out that year’s World Series. At issue are competitive balance issues among the 30 teams and how soon players should be eligible to test the free agent market.
Braves president Derek Schiller says the team’s front office has to be ready to go, when and if a deal happens.
“Like any fan, I feel the disappointment that we couldn’t reach an agreement right off the bat, but I’m also optimistic about it,” said Schiller.
