We are well into the offseason now, getting closer to Thanksgiving and the looming deadline for the CBA agreement between the MLB owners and players. The is no new agreement in place yet. All signs are pointing to a prolonged discussion that will go beyond the December 1st deadline to get a deal done. Below is Dave Dombrowski at the 2026 MLB GM Meetings at the Aria Hotel Casino in Las Vegas on November 10, 2026.
Embed from Getty Images window.gie = window.gie || function(c) { (gie.q = gie.q || []).push(c); }; gie(function() { gie.widgets.load({ id: “QorekDp0RhtE3-lopBwd9Q”, sig: “QJBBi86ZytI52IqJafUo95iHf2VHdDpDk77HvFt5Eqg=”, w: “594px”, h: “396px”, items: “2304516826,2304512936,2304512939”, caption: true, tld: “com”, is360: false }); }); https://embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.jsHere’s the latest on the issue as of this morning, November 13, 2026:
Major League Baseball’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 1, 2026, and team owners are widely expected to institute an immediate lockout. Negotiations between the league and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) remain deadlocked over owners’ demands for a hard salary cap. [1, 2, 3]
Recent Bargaining Developments
- Delayed Cap Proposal. Earlier this month, MLB proposed postponing the implementation of a salary cap and floor system until the 2028 season to give clubs a full offseason to adjust their payrolls. The revised offer features a $258.2 million hard cap and a $180.2 million payroll floor, paired with a 50-50 split of baseball revenue and centralized media rights. [1, 2, 3, 4]Union Pushback. The MLBPA continues to reject any form of a salary cap as a nonstarter, arguing that the owners’ framework artificially suppresses player earnings and serves to inflate franchise values. Instead, the union favors overhauling revenue sharing and introducing stricter anti-tanking penalties. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Other League Concessions. To sweeten its broader proposal, MLB offered to raise the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1 million for players with at least two years of service. The league also agreed to drop the qualifying offer draft-pick penalty and lower free agency eligibility from six years to five years for players age 30 or older. [1]
- Potential Legal Escalation. According to a Wall Street Journal report, MLB is actively preparing for the possibility that the MLBPA could file a “disclaimer of interest” during a lockout. This move would temporarily dissolve the union as a bargaining unit, allowing players to file class-action antitrust lawsuits against the league. [1]
- Offseason & 2027 Schedule Impact
- Slow Free Agency. Following the conclusion of the MLB General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, front offices reported heavy groundwork but minimal signings. Executives expect a frantic rush of deals in the final week of November as teams and top free agents—such as Tarik Skubal, Seiya Suzuki, and Randy Arozarena—try to finalize contracts before transactions freeze.
- Owners Meetings Next Week. MLB owners are scheduled to convene from November 17–19 to solidify their labor strategy ahead of the deadline.
- What a Lockout Means. If no deal or extension is reached by December 1, all 40-man roster transactions, trades, and free-agent signings will halt immediately. Players will also be barred from team facilities and prohibited from communicating with club staff.
- Threat to the 2027 Season. While the 2021–22 lockout lasted 99 days and only slightly delayed Opening Day, insiders warn this stoppage could be much longer. Spring training is currently slated to begin around February 9, with a mid-March cutoff before regular-season games are canceled. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
- Would you like me to set up a task to notify you when there are major updates on the MLB CBA negotiations or a lockout?
On the bright side, we have a season start on time, the dark side, this drags on through the winter, and Spring Training is pushed back, and perhaps the season doesn’t start on time. Time will tell if that happens, but for now it’s hopeful optimism for an agreement.
The Phillies continue their off-season moves, with rumors of Marsh and Turner being ‘available’ to offers. Turner has the ironclad ‘no-trade clause,’ so that may be moot for him to be moved without his approval. And within the last 2 days, the Phils apparently have been looking at a foreign player; Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers / NPB): The 27-year-old infielder and recent Japanese Triple Crown winner was posted on November 1, 2026. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed the team has heavily scouted Sato, and reports link the Phillies as one of the top MLB suitors for the left-handed slugger who can play third base and the outfield.
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