US EditionA lockout is looming over MLB in December 2026, with a salary cap fight possibly at the center
UNITED STATES, JUL 15 – MLB owners aim to introduce a salary cap to address payroll disparity and revenue losses, but players strongly oppose it, risking a lockout and potential missed games in 2026.
- Major League Baseball's current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026, raising the prospect of a lockout.
- The potential lockout is primarily driven by team owners advocating for the implementation of a salary cap to tackle payroll imbalances and declining revenues from media rights.
- Despite strong fan interest, record attendance, and successful team performances in 2024, players and union leaders firmly oppose a salary cap, calling it noncompetitive and harmful.
- Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged explaining media business problems to players but said he does not try to convince them a salary cap is beneficial, while Tony Clark stated, "A cap is not about growing the game."
- The ongoing dispute could result in missed regular-season games, marking the first interruption of this kind since 1995, and potentially undermining the sport’s recent surge in popularity and fan interest.
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Associated Press News
A lockout is looming over MLB in December 2026, with a salary cap fight possibly at the center
Major League Baseball faces a potential lockout in December 2026. Players and management have long clashed over salary cap proposals, a format that union head Tony Clark criticizes as harmful to competition and player salary guarantees.
A probable lockdown is coming in Major League baseball in December 2026 in the face of the potential momentum of team owners to set a wage cap and perhaps lead to the loss of regular season games for the first time since 1995.
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