Opening Day delayed until April 14? What more canceled games, contentious negotiations mean for MLB

There will be no MLB games until April 14.

The league canceled the second week of the regular season in 2022, after talks between the league and the MLBPA broke down.

How far apart are the two sides? How worried should fans be about the future of the sport?

There are five big questions as the MLB Lockout continues.

The soonest the season can start is now April 14th. How likely is it that we'll see baseball on April 15 -- the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut?

Many of the core economic issues that were once miles apart have made significant progress. At this point, most of the season can be salvaged, so it is possible to play regular-season baseball on April 15. After the tone turned hostile on Wednesday, executives and agents are worried. The players have been given several deadlines by the league and have been moved multiple times. It adds another fight to the talks if MLB is true to its word that players won't be paid for a full season.

After canceling four series so far, is a full 162-game schedule definitely off the table for this season?

The league and players are approaching new territory. The regular season was extended by three days because of the 1990 Lockout. This season has already been delayed by two weeks, which means that making up those series this year is much more difficult. If an agreement is reached soon, it is still possible to play a full season, but the odds of doing so are greatly diminished.

What was the biggest reason these negotiations fell apart?

Do we have an hour? We can get into the weeds, but it really comes down to trust between the sides. The lack of it is more accurately. Wednesday was another example of one group believing something was on the table when the other didn't agree. The proposed trade involved the elimination of draft pick compensation for the international draft. The league broached it in Jupiter, Fla., during nine days of discussions last month, but there were no handshakes or acknowledgements of what was actually a proposal. Negotiations have been followed by backpedaling then spinning, and this lack of clarity has been an almost insurmountable issue for both sides. The next backroom deal between the league and the union is expected to be the first one. That is the ultimate problem.

Who made the biggest concessions in the last rounds of negotiating?

The league has moved in the players direction over the past few days, including the competitive balance tax and pre-arbitration bonus pool. The movement on the first threshold of the tax was the bare minimum. During the last round of meetings in Florida, the actions showed a willingness to compromise. The league drew a line when it came to the international draft. Either players had to take it or play with the old rules. The players didn't think they had agreed to tying those two things together.

An oral history of the 1994 MLB strike. Tim Kurkjian.

Expansion of Super 2 status for players as well as any major anti-tanking measures have been given up on by the players in Florida and New York. The onus is still on MLB to make more.

Where can negotiations go from here?

After in-person bargaining ended, the sides kept communication open. If the union takes some more time to talk with its members about the international draft and puts it back on the table, the sides could pick up where they left off. Ignore the draft proposal and find a way to make the deal work without it. The two sides couldn't do that on Wednesday, but having a day or two off after their time in Florida before this round of negotiations ended up leading to progress is possible. There are many ways to complete this deal. The sides have not agreed on one yet.