ESPN puts dates on when a new CBA needs to be in place to avoid missing various parts of the season. The three big ones are February eighth for spring training, February nineteenth for spring training games, and March third for the start of the regular season.

The lack of a deadline for reaching an agreement makes the timing of negotiations more difficult. The loss of spring training games would be the first pain point, as owners would lose some money from the lack of games. February eighth, however, means teams and players would be somewhat less rushed to get things in place for the season. I was thinking this week would be a good one to get an agreement done, but next Tuesday might be the earliest we see a new CBA.