Trending
NEW YORK -- When Jake Bauers gloved the final out of the Milwaukee Brewers' first World Series triumph, it might have ended the last Major League Baseball game for a long time.
While just 148 days remain until the scheduled start of the 2027 season on March 24, owners have proposed a salary cap for the first time since their 1994 plan led to a 7¢-month strike and the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.
"Obviously, you'd love to see the game be in a good spot and continue to be played," Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich said Wednesday a few hours before his team finished a five-game victory over Tampa Bay. "I think the game's in a great spot right now with a lot of people tuned in, a lot of popularity, a lot of great players out there. It would obviously be a shame if we miss time, but we'll have plenty of time this offseason to talk about it."
Baseball's five-year labor contract, agreed to in March 2022 on the 99th day of a management lockout, expires on Dec. 1. MLB is likely to lock out players again as soon as the deal expires.
That could create another free-agent frenzy ahead of the expiration.
This year's free-agent class is headed by Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Michael King, Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena. There were 144 new free agents Thursday and several dozen more can go free by Monday.
While the sides have been negotiating since May, there is no common ground on the primary economic issues.
Management wants a cap and a floor that would cut down disparity in payrolls along with restricting a player to at most 15% of his team's payroll.
Players want expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum.