Openers, Replacements Pushed Aside Since Lockout Appears Unlikely, Regular Players Could Return By Monday

Baseball’s replacement season was put on hold Saturday. The dreams seemed to be darkening for those would-be major leaguers.

The clubs were instructed by management’s Player Relations Committee to release temporary players by midnight Saturday, and tonight’s scheduled season opener between the New York Mets and Florida Marlins was postponed.

In addition, today’s final seven exhibition games were canceled. Owners will vote on a lockout at today’s meeting in Chicago, but the possibility of approval seems slim.

Major-league players could begin reporting to spring training camps on Monday. Management and the players’ union began discussions Saturday on back-to-work procedures. The season would tentatively open on April 26.

Referring to the Chicago meeting, acting commissioner Bud Selig said: “Until we have a chance to review all of our options, everyone felt we should cancel (today’s) games.”

The PRC, meanwhile, ordered clubs to release their temporary players - some will be re-signed to minor-league contracts - in an effort to cut costs.

Any replacement players on opening day rosters, which were due by 6 p.m. today, would have qualified for a $25,000 bonus and severance package.

“They’ve told us the season was over,” said Pete Kuld, a replacement catcher with the Cleveland Indians.

“They’re not going to have replacement games. Everybody’s got their travel orders.”

A National League general manager said that isn’t quite the case, insisting that the replacement season hasn’t been totally abandoned.

“Even though the contracts haven’t been executed, teams will still have the ability to reassemble their replacement teams next week, depending on what the owners decide (today),” he said.

The Chicago meeting was called after the players’ union offered to end the 232-day strike Friday when U.S. District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor ordered a temporary injunction restoring key provisions of the expired labor agreement, including salary arbitration, free-agent bidding and the anti-collusion clause pertaining to free agency.

Owners have steadfastly said they did not want to play another season under terms of the expired agreement, but it is not certain they have the 21 votes needed to approve a lockout that carries major financial risks.

“I’m just one owner, but my guess is that we’re not going to lock out,” New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

Steinbrenner said he expected regular players to return next week for a 21-day training period and that ultimately the owners and players would reach a bargaining settlement “to clean up this mess.”

The Yankees, Mets, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres are believed to comprise six of the eight votes required to block a lockout, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox believed leaning that way. Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley continued to insist that he has not decided.

“Our first decision tomorrow is to vote on a lockout,” Colorado owner Jerry McMorris said. “That’s the big decision in front of us, then the rest of the pieces will fall into place.

“I think you’ll have a majority of votes in favor of it, but I don’t know if you’ll have enough to get to threequarters.

“I’ve been very clear in my position. I’m not inclined to vote for a lockout because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of this franchise, but I won’t make a final decision until I see the judge’s order.”

There were developments Satur day that seemed to pave the way for the return of the major leaguers:

It was learned that the Player Relations Committee sent a memo to the clubs giving them permission to start signing players. The PRC, in what was tantamount to a signing freeze, became the sole bargaining agent for the 28 teams on Feb. 6, when it also eliminated the provisions now restored by the injunction.

“They had no choice,” union leader Donald Fehr said of the PRC memo. “I mean, they’re under court order.”

Lawyers for the two sides met at the union office to discuss “back to work” rules. There were no agreements, Fehr said, but a source familiar with the discussions said there is a tentative agreement for camps to open to regular players on Monday, with a mandatory reporting date of Wednesday.