Cleveland Guardians 2022 new schedule, MLB rule changes, things to know

The Major League Baseball owners' lockout is over. Go crazy, folks, go crazy.

And just like that, the baseball world is back. There could be a flurry of activity over the next week as teams scramble to get ready for spring training and make up for 99 days of lost time in the offseason, particularly on the trade and free-agent markets.

The schedule has been shuffled multiple times, and some makeup games still need to be scheduled for later in the year. The spring training slate will be altered as well. Some rule changes will be going into effect immediately, and others might appear in 2023. And some of the economic systems that govern baseball have been altered.

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Baseball is a go. Here's everything you need to know to get back up to speed. And here's a look at where the Guardians roster stands as the league returns to action.

Guardians Opening Day now April 7, home opener set for April 15

The Guardians era will begin on April 7, Opening Day, at 4:10 p.m. against the Kansas City Royals.

Opening Day, as it related to the Guardians, was originally set for March 31. It was moved to April 8 after the first week of games was canceled during lockout negotiations. It was then shifted to April 15 when a second week of games was canceled Wednesday night, but the two sides continued to negotiate and came to a deal on Thursday, saving a full 162-game season.

Opening Day was set for April 7 league wide, but the Guardians were off that day. That, though, was altered on Friday morning, when the game was moved to April 7 to align with the rest of the league. The Guardians will now be off on April 8.

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The Guardians, with their new team name and logos, will make their first regular season appearance in Cleveland on April 15 in their home opener against the San Francisco Giants, which falls on Jackie Robinson Day around the league.

Six games will need to be rescheduled — three against the Royals and three against the Minnesota Twins — either as doubleheaders and/or as games on scheduled off days. The league will try to fit 162 games into a slightly shorter window prior to the postseason.

Guardians 2022 spring training dates, changes

Players can begin reporting to camp immediately and have a mandatory report date of Sunday, though accommodations might need to be made for players traveling internationally. The usual period when spring camps ramp up into games, normally a couple weeks, is gone.

The Guardians on Friday announced a new spring training schedule that runs from March 18 to April 5.

MLB rule changes to know for 2022

Players not yet eligible for arbitration will have a higher minimum salary during the five-year CBA agreement — $700,000 in 2022, $780,000 in the fifth year of the deal. The competitive balance tax, which has been used by teams as a soft salary cap, has been raised to $230 million for this season and will hit $244 million in year five.

One of the most notable changes under this new CBA is playoff expansion. The MLB playoffs are expanding to six teams per league, up from five. The three division winners in each league will earn the Nos. 1-3 seeds, with the top two seeds getting a bye for the wild-card around. The third division winner is the No. 3 seed, and the three best records as wild cards will make up seeds 4-6. The teams seeded 3-6 will face off in best-of-three series.

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Considering the Guardians have the youngest major league roster in baseball and are chasing the Chicago White Sox, a team that is both young and talented, an extra wild-card spot might mean as much to the Guardians as any other teams vying for a playoff spot in 2022.

There will no longer be a Game 163 tiebreaker. Playoff spots and seeding will be determined by a tiebreaker formula closer to what the NFL has used for years.

The 2022 MLB season will also have the elimination of a "ghost runner" starting on second base in extra innings, and the seven-inning doubleheaders. Both of those elements were added in an effort to shorten game times and alleviate pitching concerns during the pandemic.

The designated hitter is also coming to the National League, creating a more uniformed set of rules across both leagues. Reportedly, the 2023 MLB schedule could be more balanced, with each team facing the other 29 teams for at least one series.

Players can only be optioned to the minor leagues a maximum of five times during a season. Under the old rules, some players — especially relievers — were often shuttled between the majors and minors over and over throughout a year.

And, according to a report from Sportsnet in Toronto, players who are not vaccinated will not be able to play games in Canada. Those players will be placed on a restricted list during those games, won't play and won't receive compensation or service time.

The domestic amateur draft has been shortened to 20 rounds. The owners, as a last-second tactic, tried to implement an international draft, something the players have been adamantly against. This CBA was agreed to in an effort to salvage a 162-game season, but the players and the owners still have to negotiate the international draft, which is being tied to draft pick compensation. The important thing, though, is that baseball is back on the schedule.

A few rule changes could be implemented in 2023, including a ban on defensive shifts, a pitch clock and larger bases.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians 2022 schedule, MLB rule changes, things to know