Editor's Note: Major League Baseball updated its spring training schedule after this story was published. This story has been updated to reflect those changes.
Baseball fans across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief Thursday after owners and players finally came to terms on a labor agreement, ending the 99-day lockout and giving way to the start of spring training.
Although fans will miss out on about two weeks of spring training games, and the regular season won't start until April 7, teams will still play a full 162-game schedule.
Players can start reporting to camps in Florida and Arizona Friday with a mandatory report date of Sunday.
Fans can start buying tickets now with the first spring training games beginning next week on March 17.
A condensed spring training schedule was unveiled shortly after the labor agreement was finalized.
All of the teams that hold spring training in Florida will be playing other squads that train nearby.
This is similar to the "pod-like" schedule that was held last year due to the pandemic.
Unfortunately, this means that baseball fans on the east coast of Florida will not see any teams that train on the west coast and vice versa.
The Washington Nationals will begin their spring training games in West Palm Beach against the Miami Marlins on March 18.
The Houston Astros will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter on March 18 to begin their spring season.
The New York Mets will take on the Nationals in West Palm Beach on March 19 to kick-off their spring training.
The Mets' first game in Port St. Lucie will be against the Cardinals on March 20.
Local business owners had been concerned that no games would be played this season due to the lockout.
For a third straight year, spring training has either been shortened or not been at capacity due to COVID-19 or labor squabbles.
Click herefor a full list of Grapefruit League games in Florida.
