MLB, players agree to new labor deal after months of negotiating

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Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new labor deal on Thursday, ending a 99-day lockout and ensuring a full 162-game season.

The collective bargaining agreement will allow players to report to spring training as early as Friday with Opening Day potentially set for April 7, according to ESPN. The deal still has to be ratified by both the owners and the players, but it is reportedly expected to be nothing more than a "formality."

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The players’ board vote to take the deal was 26-12, The Athletic reported.

The latest hump to get over was whether to hold an international draft. The sides agreed to a July 25 deadline to potentially establish an international draft that would start in 2024.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had canceled 93 more games on Wednesday over the international draft issue, raising the total to 184 after it was previously announced the March 31 Opening Day series and the rest of the first week were canceled.

According to MLB.com, once the deal is ratified spring training camps can open as soon as Sunday.

The deal is expected to increase minimum salaries for players, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool and raise the competitive balance tax (CBT) over the next few years. Those were the key economic issues the two sides had been at an impasse about over the last few weeks.

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A universal DH, a 12-team postseason and bigger bases were also a part of the deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.