Bill Shaikin: MLB owners and players can’t agree on solutions — or even the problems

LOS ANGELES — In the final hours before baseball as we know it shut down, Max Scherzer took a few minutes from his obligations to the players’ union to hold a news conference about why he signed with the New York Mets. Scherzer, however, did not pass up the opportunity to explain what the players prioritized in a new collective bargaining agreement.

“First and foremost, we see a competition problem,” Scherzer said Wednesday.

The clock struck midnight on the East Coast, the old agreement expired, and major league owners immediately imposed a lockout.

“This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive,”