NEW YORK — Twenty-one hours after Major League Baseball requested federal mediation, rather than issuing its planned counteroffer, the Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the league’s request. The MLBPA released the following statement on Friday: “Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, and instead requested mediation. After consultation with our Executive Board, and taking into account a variety of factors, we have declined this request. “The clearest p…
