MLB season in full swing, potential lockout looming
By Jacob Teets
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is off and running as we head into the second full week of the long trek to October. The topic baseball fans will be discussing throughout the year, however, is not all about the games being played but also the potential lockout that would start on Dec. 2, 2026.
It is all but certain that a lockout will take place when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. The 30 Major League teams and the Major League Baseball Players Association have been publicly far apart in what they want for the new CBA this winter.
Talks within the baseball community have been ramping up the past year about the possibility of an MLB lockout that could see the start of the 2027 season delayed.
This wouldn’t be the first time an MLB season gets delayed because of a disagreement between players and owners, as there have been nine other lockouts and strikes for various reasons, dating back to the first in 1972.
The last time games were canceled was due to a strike that started on Aug. 12, 1994. The cause of this strike was the very same thing that owners and players will be discussing during this year’s negotiations 32 years later – the addition of a salary cap.
In 1994, players went on strike for a total of 232 days, with it ending on April 2, 1995. The mid-season strike would cause the remainder of the season to end, with no postseason or World Series in 1994.
So, what is the likelihood that players once again go on strike, games get canceled and the implementation of a salary cap finally happens? Why are players against the idea of a cap?
When it comes to players heading to the picket line, there’s probably a better chance of Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to play for the White Sox Double-A affiliate again than that happening.
There’s a reason why there hasn’t been a strike since 1994 and that is the fact that both players and owners ultimately want baseball to be played. Talks of a strike have not been made public and likely won’t be.
Games being canceled, on the other hand, is a slight possibility. The cancellation of games has only happened in three of the nine strikes and lockouts in MLB history.
Most recently, during the last lockout in 2021-22, games weren’t necessarily canceled but instead opening day was postponed from March 31 to April 7. A similar situation happened during the 1990 lockout.
The biggest issue within this next CBA agreement is once again the never-ending lust by owners to implement the salary cap into baseball. MLB would be the last of the four major American sports to acquire a cap.
Some may wonder “well why are players so opposed to the salary cap?” The answer is honestly as simple as it seems.
With the addition of a salary cap, players will lose out on bigger contracts and make less money.
Take Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal for example. When free agency begins at the conclusion of the season, it has been reported that he will be looking to leave free agency with a $400 million deal. With the new salary cap, Skubal would not see that big of a contract, likely looking at one in the range of $100 to $200 million less than what he’s expected.
There’s also the elephant in the room in the case of why a salary cap has been discussed more than usual, and that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have superstars like two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, first baseman Freddie Freeman, new Dodger outfielder Kyle Tucker, second baseman Mookie Betts and the list goes on.
If any team should be worried about a cap being put in place, it’s the Dodgers. MLB insider Jon Heyman said last month that the proposed cap would be set at $260 to $280 million.
The Dodgers’ salary comes out to $413 million going into 2026, way over the projected cap number.
With a salary cap, the Dodgers would have to make room if they wanted to sign any more players, forcing them to dismantle their back-to-back World Series winning roster. That very reason will be why owners of big market teams like LA may push back against the cap. They don’t want to lose their World Series contending rosters they’ve assembled.
So, whether you’re a diehard baseball fan who agrees or disagrees with a salary cap, or a new fan just learning about baseball (bad timing), there’s so many different variables to consider when it comes to a cap.
Whichever side you may fall on, the best thing you can do as a fan is enjoy this season, because baseball could be drastically different come this time next year.