The Red Sox are finally reporting for spring training — but baseball's core issues persist

Major League Baseball players reported to spring training Sunday, following their pitchers and catchers, who reported Friday. The start of spring training, though late, signals the end of the MLB lockout, which could have pushed the season’s delays far past the single week of games that ended up postponed over contract negotiations.

“Just when things seemed to be at their worst, the owners and the players got together and worked out a new deal,” said Steve Buckley, a senior writer for The Athletic. “There were a lot of dark forecasts, but we will get a full, 162-game season.

“It was a fun season and a funner off season,” he added. “They need to build on the success and keep that energy, that electricity, that drama going.”

The end of the lockout is not only good news for fans but also local businesses relying on income from the season. But while the deal reached between owners and players last Thursday is a win for MLB’s lowest-paid players, many of the issues at the heart of the lockout remain unsolved.

“Minimum salaries have gone up,” said Victor Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross. “That should be about a 40% increase for baseball’s lowest-paid players, so that’s great for them. Mind you, though, all of that money put together only constitutes about an additional 1% of all of baseball’s revenues, so this isn’t very much money.... We’re not going to end the world of the haves and the have-nots, but it’s really good for those lowest-paid players in Major League Baseball.”

Matheson expects that debates around minimum team payrolls, salary caps for richer teams and the number of years players must play before becoming free agents will re-emerge during the next negotiation.

“Five years from today, we may be having exactly the same conversation about, ‘How are we going to break this impasse between the players or the owners?’” he said. “None of the big stuff has been solved.”

In the meantime, Matheson said fans will notice a range of other changes this season, including the start of advertising on jerseys and designated hitters in the National League — once the defining rule difference between the American and National Leagues. Negotiations are still ongoing around a pitch clock and slightly bigger bases, among other issues.

Despite the turmoil of the lockout and the delayed start to spring training, Matheson said it’s a good time to be a Red Sox fan.

“They’re one of the big spending teams,” he said. “They will still be allowed to spend way more money than other teams in their league, such as the Orioles. ... If you’re a Red Sox fan, that’s great. If you’re more of a fan of general competitive balance in the league, it’s not so great.”

The Red Sox play their first spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla. The team will play its first regular series away against the Yankees April 7-10, and their home opener against the Twins on April 15.