As each baseball season passes, tensions between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) seem to grow stronger.
Regular season MLB games haven’t been cancelled due to labor disagreements since the famous 1994 strike that cancelled the World Series, but things came dangerously close in 2022.
With MLB and the MLBPA unable to come to an agreement by December 2, 2021, baseball officially entered a lockout. It wasn’t until 99 days later, on March 10, 2022, when the two sides agreed to a five-year deal that allowed a full season to be played in 2022. The agreement came just in the nick of time.
Although no games were lost, the delayed Spring Training and start to the season may have been a momentum killer for the Chicago White Sox, who were coming off a 93-win season and their first AL Central title since 2008 the previous year. The White Sox were never able to put together a consistent stretch in 2022, finishing the season at 81-81 and missing the playoffs.
Another lockout could be coming for baseball
With the current collective bargaining agreement set to end following the 2026 season, a similar momentum killer could be in store for the White Sox. Tensions between MLB and the players union are high, and although there is time to get a deal done before a lockout, the sides are so far apart right now that it feels impossible.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan discussed the seismic gap between the two parties in a piece earlier this week, mentioning a proposed salary cap as a major issue at the forefront of minds.
MLB’s owners – particularly those in smaller markets – are fed up with the splashy, albeit reckless, spending habits of the big market teams. Organizations like the Dodgers and Mets seemingly have no limit to how much they’re willing to spend to improve their roster, leaving teams who can’t or won’t compete financially in the dust.
The league has attempted to close this gap by implementing penalties for spending over certain thresholds, but it hasn’t been much of a deterrent for the teams with deep pockets. Naturally, this has led to others going back to the drawing board.
The players will never agree to a salary cap
Baseball remains the only one of the four major sports to not implement some form of a salary cap, and many on the ownership side believe a salary cap is a necessity to make the league fair and competitive.
On the players side, however, the discussion of a salary cap is a non-starter, or as Jeff Passan put it, a “declaration of war” by the owners. As far as the players are concerned, there will never be a new deal if a salary cap is included.
Super agents like Scott Boras are notorious advocates for making players as much money as possible, and they have advised players against agreeing to anything that could potentially put a cap on their earnings.
As long as both sides remain stubborn on this issue, it’s hard to see a deal getting done before the expiration of the current CBA, and baseball seems destined for another lockout.
A lockout would hurt both MLB and the White Sox
A lockout doesn’t necessarily mean the cancellation of games, and it would benefit both sides to get a deal done sooner rather than later, but cancellations nearly happened in 2022, and things seem to be even more tense now.
Rob Manfred and the MLBPA need to start thinking about compromises, and prioritize the long-term health of the sport over “winning” in the negotiations. Baseball is already struggling to get and maintain viewers, and the cancellation of games would be a major obstacle.
The White Sox took a significant step forward in 2025, and they will look to make even larger strides in 2026. By 2027, the team should be in a position where they’re looking to compete for the AL Central.
Having some (or all) of the season cancelled due to labor negotiations would be horrible timing, and to be honest, just our luck as Sox fans.
The White Sox were in a great position to make a run during the 1994 strike season, and were hoping to be competitive in 2022 as well. It’s frustrating that these things only seem to happen when the White Sox are trying to compete. I think we all would’ve been okay if the lockout had cancelled some games in 2024 instead.
Whether you believe that Major League Baseball needs a salary cap or not, we should all be rooting for labor peace, because a lockout could deal a fatal blow to Chicago's competitive window.