So it looks like we’re headed for a work stoppage. Baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement expires on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET, and after months of largely slow-moving negotiations, the sides suspended talks without a deal. The team owners are almost certainly going to lock out the players on Thursday.
If you’ve been following along since the 2021 season ended, you’ve probably heard all of that before. But on the eve of MLB’s first work stoppage in 26 years, let’s take a look at what those assumptions mean in context and in practice.
Some of the ensuing uncertainties will remain such for now, but we’ll update this story as we learn more.