MLB Players Are Already Expecting Another Lockout Soon
The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the 30 team owners is set to expire after the 2026 season. And the players are already preparing themselves for a work stoppage.
MLBPA head Tony Clark spoke to reporters at San Francisco Giants spring training camp in Scottsdale this week, saying he believes that the league is set to lock players out after the 2026 season in order to secure a better deal.
"Unless I am mistaken, the league has come out and said there’s going to be a work stoppage," Clark said, Per Sportico. "So, I don’t think I’m speaking out of school in that regard."
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has previously described lockouts as a "positive." Though in a "bizarre" way.
"In a bizarre way, it’s actually a positive," Manfred said. "The great thing about offseason lockouts is the leverage that exists gets applied between the bargaining parties."
Don't tell fans that!

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 09: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and All-Star game MVP Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Indians during the 2019 MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field on July 09, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
MLB Lockout Would Stunt The Game's Growth At Pivotal Time
Clark clearly heard those remarks, as well as others by Manfred comparing the lockout to using a ".22 rather than a shotgun" to get things done.
"The statement has been there’s going to be a lockout and it’s a good thing for the game, even to go as far as saying it’s like using a .22 rather than shotgun," Clark continued.
Manfred's remarks are perfectly symbolic of his tenure at the helm of Major League Baseball. Many good things, along with many, many unforced errors.
Pace of play has been a tremendous success. The expanded playoffs have added more drama for contenting teams, though at the expense of the integrity of the postseason. He let the 2017 Houston Astros players get away Scot free, then said the championship trophy was "just a piece of metal."
Lockouts are bad. Full stop. Bad for fans, who hear two extremely wealthy sides argue over who will be getting more of the many billions in revenue MLB generates. Bad for players, who spend months forced to train on their own, as well as free agents who have to wonder where their families will be living. And they're bad for owners, who further erode their standing with their paying customers.
Most importantly though, it takes away any hope of major news breaking during the offseason and keeping fans' attention. At a pivotal time, where the league is finally growing again.
The "hot stove" season is decimated, taken over by infighting. That's not what anyone wants.