Major League Baseball is hurtling toward a complete shutdown. Get ready, because the current collective bargaining agreement, the very backbone of how this league operates, officially expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 1. And yeah, you guessed it, the owners are expected to lock out the players the very next day.
Manfred’s Battle Cry
Commissioner Rob Manfred saw the Milwaukee Brewers win the World Series. Their payroll ranked 19th in baseball. This was their first World Series in 44 years. And what did Manfred say after all that? He said, “Once every 40 years is not enough.” That right there, that single sentence, is the entire battle. That’s the reason the sport is about to be shut down, according to the Commissioner. The owners saw a reason to fight after that kind of success on a lower budget.
What Happens When the Lights Go Out
Once that lockout hits on December 2, everything stops. And we mean *everything* except the back and forth between the league and the union. Forget free agent signings. Forget trades. There will be no spring training. And yeah, there will be no season until they finally get a new deal hammered out. It’s a complete standstill, an absolute freeze on the entire sport.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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