The 2021 MLB season has ended, and the league and players are bracing for a work stoppage when their current collective bargaining agreement expires in four weeks, at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. The biggest day of the offseason.
During the World Series last week, both MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark expressed optimism about completing a new deal while speaking to reporters. But will these feelings actually cut the tension when the time comes to negotiate?
"Worst-case scenario is, we get to Opening Day and there's still no deal and there's a lockout or a strike and the season's delayed. That's the Doomsday scenario, I don't think we're going to get there," longtime baseball columnist Scott Miller told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Thursday. "I don't think either side, after taking a financial bath for the last year and a half, is going to have a taste to lose even more money via a strike or lockout.
"I think the pandemic and all this lost money recently, will wind up, long-run, being a pressure point for these two sides to get a deal done. I think that's what's going to happen, personally, and that we'll start on time next year. Maybe spring training could be a little bit late, but I really think the season will start on time. I hope I'm right."
Baseball lost revenue during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as well as this year, due to limited-capacity crowds at ballparks across the country. Another significant issue is player salaries. According to a story from Forbes, the average annually salary for a player is between $3.6-$3.7 million, and just four years ago, the figure was $4.1 million. A new CBA may drastically alter the game's economic landscape.
If a lockout occurs in December, traditional offseason activities and events will be disrupted. Aside from economics, both the owners and players will need to discuss the on-field product, and address pace of play, the use of foreign substances, the implementation of a universal designated hitter, and possible postseason expansion. Baseball's last work stoppage came in 1994, and it cancelled 669 games plus the World Series.
The entire MLB conversation between Miller and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.