IN THE NEWS: The players and owners reach a new collective-bargaining agreement that will end the 32-day lockout of spring training camps. Highlights of the deal include increasing the clubs' contributions to the players' pension fund, raising the minimum ML salary to $100,000, and a compromise on salary arbitration that leaves 17 percent of players with between two and three years of ML experience eligible.
IN THE NEWS: The ML umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games to protest not having been consulted in the revision of the regular season schedule after the lockout. They will return to work on April 1st.
IN THE NEWS: A plan to allow starting pitchers to earn victories with only three innings pitched (because of the abbreviated spring training period) is scrapped, but teams will be allowed to open the regular season with 27-man rosters instead of the allowed maximum of 25.