MLB's 2027 work stoppage? Baseball folks already are talking about it
Major League Baseball's all-star break is no longer a break, not for the people who run these clubs, anyway.
Article content
The draft, which is just about all-consuming for team executives, runs Sunday and Monday of all-star week.
Article content
Article content
The trade deadline looms at the end of the month. When to rest?
Article content
'Circle Dec. 2, 2026, on your calendar,' one exec said this month. 'If you have one of these jobs and you ever wanted to go to New Zealand or something, that's the time to go.'
Article content
It was a joke. But it's deadly serious for the sport.
Article content
On Dec. 1, 2026, the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players association expires. The expectation throughout the sport: The owners will lock out the players then. That means general managers not only can't be in touch with members of their own teams, they can't be in touch with representatives of free agents. No calls. No texts. No deals. No trades. No business.
Article content
New Zealand would be kind of a bucket-list trip, wouldn't it?
Article content
This isn't to put a damper on Monday night's Home Run Derby or Tuesday night's All-Star Game, both held on the outskirts of Atlanta. It's to acknowledge that the threat of a work stoppage is very real and the people who run baseball operations departments already are considering how it will impact the way they do business. As in: Do I really want to commit three years to a player if one of those years could be all but wiped out?
Article content
That's not a doomsday scenario. Those discussions are happening in front offices right now. The last lockout produced the CBA that covered the 2022-26 seasons. It delayed the start of the 2022 season but cost zero major league games. The next one?
Article content
Article content
'Maybe I'm wrong,' one head of a baseball operations department said. 'But this one feels like it's going to be long.'
Article content
Another exec said, 'The owners are loaded for bear this time.'
Article content
What MLB wants without saying it directly: a salary cap. The Los Angeles Dodgers are spending $341 million on players this year, the New York Mets $332 million, according to Spotrac. The Vegas-bound Athletics are spending $77.1 million, the Miami Marlins $67.6 million. Not coincidentally, the Dodgers and Mets enter the all-star break in playoff position. The A's and the Marlins do not.
Article content
'We do not have the kind of cost certainty, predictability and competitive balance mechanisms in our player comp system that the three other major professional sports have,' Commissioner Rob Manfred said at an investor event hosted last month by the Atlanta Braves, according to Sports Business Journal. 'That's just a fact.'
Article content
Two words he doesn't use: 'salary' and 'cap.' But you don't have to read between the lines to understand what he's saying.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
21 minutes ago
- CBC
Canada's Mboko claims 1st career WTA main draw victory on home soil
Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., defeated Australian Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round at the National Bank Open in Montreal Sunday.
CTV News
22 minutes ago
- CTV News
World Junior Summer Showcase roster includes hockey players from Kitchener and Brantford
Kitchener Rangers defenceman Cameron Reid and Brantford Bulldogs players Owen Protz, Jake O'Brien and Marek Vanacker are seen in this undated collage (Courtesy: OHL). The long-awaited World Junior Summer Showcase is underway in Minneapolis, Minn., and several Ontario Hockey League (OHL) players from Kitchener and Brantford are among those taking part. The annual event serves as an evaluation camp for players aiming to earn a spot on their national team for the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship, set to begin in December. Players from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland have been invited to represent their respective countries. This year, Hockey Canada selected 44 players from across the country to participate. Among them are Kitchener Rangers defenceman Cameron Reid and Brantford Bulldogs players Owen Protz, Jake O'Brien and Marek Vanacker. Throughout the week, athletes will take part in practices, scrimmages and three exhibition games against international opponents. Participants are split into two teams—Red and White—for internal matchups, including an intrasquad game scheduled for July 29. Canada is then set to face Finland on July 30, Sweden on Aug. 1 and the United States on Aug. 2. The IIHF uses a three-point system during competition: three points are awarded to the team that wins in regulation, one point each if the game is tied after regulation and an additional point to the winner of a five-minute overtime or shootout. Guelph Storm forward Jett Luchanko was also invited by Hockey Canada but was unable to attend the showcase. The World Junior Summer Showcase wraps up on Aug. 2. The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.
Globe and Mail
22 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Amber Kanwar's Weekly Setup: Big tests are coming for the markets
My husband got taken down by a nasty summer bug but has reintegrated into the family. He stayed in the guest room to avoid infecting me and the kids. He passed his time watching TV and having meals delivered. I'm glad he is back in the fold, but I would be lying if I didn't admit there is a small part of me that thought about licking one of his spoons to get a few days alone in a quiet room. This is not the week to call in sick with huge catalysts on deck. Here are the five things to watch: Magnificent week: With the S&P 500 sitting atop a record high, the resilience of the Magnificent 7 (also at a record) will be the next test for the markets. Four of the seven companies report this week, including Meta Platforms Inc. META-Q, Microsoft Corp. MSFT-Q, Apple Inc. AAPL-Q and Inc. AMZN-Q They represent a combined US$14-trillion in value. The big question for all of them will be how much each company is spending on AI. Although for Apple, it will be more like, 'Have you heard of AI?' Apple is the second-worst-performing Mag7 after Tesla Inc. TSLA-Q, down about 14 per cent so far in 2025. The reason Apple is in the dog house is because it lacks a clear AI strategy, according to Needham senior analyst Laura Martin. She said 'calls to replace Tim Cook as Apple CEO are getting louder every quarter that Apple doesn't lay out a comprehensive GenAI strategy.' After Alphabet Inc. GOOGL-Q surprised investors with a US$85-billion spending plan, there is a good chance the others follow suit. Is it any wonder that Nvidia Corp. NVDA-Q is back at a record high and the best-performing Magnificent 7 in 2025? Decisions, decisions: If mega-cap earnings weren't enough, the Bank of Canada and U.S. Federal Reserve are delivering interest-rate announcements on Wednesday. The BoC is expected to keep rates on hold at 2.75 per cent for a third time in a row. Core inflation, which is hanging around 3 per cent, and the oddly robust jobs data from earlier this month make it an easy bet that the BoC will hold. It is also an easy bet that the Federal Reserve won't cut this month, although U.S. President Donald Trump may think otherwise after meeting with Fed Chair Jerome Powell this week on a tour of the central bank's renovations. Mr. Trump said Mr. Powell congratulated him on a strong economy, which he took to mean that rate cuts are coming. Watch for dissenters on the decision; those are the ones auditioning for Mr. Powell's job when his term expires next year. Hold your breath: In the past three months, UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH-N has slashed its profit forecast, announced that its CEO is leaving, then suspended its profit forecast altogether and endured a 50-per-cent drop in the value of its shares. And just last week, it confirmed that it is the subject of a Department of Justice investigation into its Medicare practices. Talk about a season to forget. The embattled health insurer is set to report quarterly results Tuesday morning as its stock languishes at the lowest level in five years. However, that now means it sports a low-teens multiple. Before you let that lure you in, like yours truly, value investor Michael McCloskey, founder and president of GreensKeeper Asset Management, said on my podcast this week that this has the markings of a value trap. 'When you see the suggestion that maybe they're playing games with Medicare, it's the cockroach theory,' he said. 'I might be totally wrong, but when I see that, I tend to stay away.' Flying close to the sun: Bombardier Inc. BBD-B-T reports this week and talk about a comeback story. The stock is up 1,400 per cent over the past five years compared with just 100 per cent for the TSX over that time. It went from a universally unloved stock with high debt levels to a Bay Street favourite with a new investment-grade debt rating. Its transformation into a business-jet company has paid off big time. But some analysts say the setup from here gets harder. TD Cowen analyst Tim James downgraded the stock last week on the runup and says it has a bad habit of falling on earnings days regardless of the results. '[The] recent share-price strength may heighten Q2 hurdle for driving further short-term upside,' said Mr. James in a note downgrading the stock from buy to hold. Hot commodity: MEG Energy Corp. MEG-T reports results Thursday after the close. The energy producer is subject to a hostile bid from Strathcona but reports last week suggest Cenovus is preparing a rival bid. The company will likely be tight lipped about what it can say, but analysts and investors may pry to see where the companies are in the process and how many other bidders have kicked the tires. In the Money with Amber Kanwar brings you actionable insights from top portfolio managers and business leaders. New episodes out Tuesdays and Thursdays. Subscribe now!
