MLB Notebook: Lockout begins as owners and players remain at odds

I’d really love to lead off this week’s Major League Baseball Notebook with stories about free agency, or trade speculation, or any number of other fun topics. However, it’s the current labor situation that needs to be tackled first. Try to contain your enthusiasm.

A Lockout?

Yep, every sports fan’s least-favorite seven-letter word is rearing its head. MLB’s owners voted unanimously late Wednesday night to institute a lockout and trigger the league’s first work stoppage since the mid-1990’s, when one cancelled most of the 1994 season.

This wasn’t unexpected, and had in fact been seen as a strong possibility for the last several years. Time will tell how long this can be expected to last, but obviously, we’re not alone in hoping for swift negotiations.

Semien, Seager Head To Texas

Before the lockout started, the Texas Rangers re-tooled their infield with a pair of blockbuster signings. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both put pen to paper on massive contracts that will bring their services to the club.

Semien bashed a career-high 45 home runs with the Toronto Blue Jays a season ago, while Seager has hit .297 with an .870 OPS over parts of seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stroman Signs With Chicago

With Max Scherzer locked down after signing his gigantic deal with the New York Mets, eyes turned to Marcus Stroman, who left that club to test the free agency market. Based on Stroman’s own Twitter account, it would appear he found a suitor. He and the Chicago Cubs have agreed on a three-year, $71 million contract with an opt-out clause following the second season.

Taylor Returns to Los Angeles

We’ll close with some news from the Dodgers, as the club agreed to terms with Chris Taylor and will have him back in blue for the next four years.

Taylor will make $60 million during that time, and he’s been in the Dodger clubhouse since 2016. He swatted 20 homers this past season to go along with 73 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.