What’s next after MLB owners imposed a lockout of players? ‘We’re here, they’re there. We need to find a way to bridge the gap,’ Rob Manfred says.

In a statement shortly after the lockout began, the Players’ Association said, “This shutdown is a dramatic measure, regardless of the timing. It is not required by law or for any other reason. It was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure the Players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not just Players, but the game and industry as a whole.”