Coming off perhaps the most surprising season in franchise history, the Giants might begin the 2022 season by renewing their rivalry against ... the Guardians?
That's the current plan after MLB and the MLBPA once again failed to strike a deal by an arbitrary deadline. The sides have gotten close on most monetary issues, but an international draft became a sticking point seemingly out of thin air, and on Wednesday afternoon commissioner Rob Manfred announced that two more series have been canceled.
"Because of the logistical realities of the calendar, another two series are being removed from the schedule, meaning that Opening Day is postponed until April 14," Manfred said in a statement.
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There was more to the statement -- the usual stuff about "good-faith" offers and MLB feeling "saddened" for loyal fans -- but the end result is that the sides may now be further away from a deal than they've been at any point in recent weeks. There was still a chance at a 162-game season (featuring plenty of doubleheaders) if a deal had been reached Wednesday, but any future negotiations will now also center around the players' desire to be paid for 162 games and the owners, well, you can imagine how the owners will react to that.
At the moment, 13 games have been taken off the Giants schedule. They had previously lost a season-opening trip to San Diego and Milwaukee, and this latest news took home series with the Marlins and Padres off the schedule. Their current season starts April 15 in Cleveland, with that three-game series followed by trips to New York and Washington D.C.
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That means the current schedule calls for the Giants to start their season with 10 road games and then play their home opener on a Tuesday night, April 26, against the A's. It would be a very weird start to the season if that's how it plays out, but if we've learned one thing over the last three months, it's that you shouldn't bet on this ending without further damage.
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