MLB could be on the verge of another lockout — its second of the decade, as the owners locked out the players for a full 99 days in 2021 — as the richest members of the sport's upper echelon seek a means to limit spending and enhance their own wealth. This time around, MLB owners are reportedly unhappy with their franchise valuations as compared to the game's elite in Los Angeles and New York. A salary cap system, they believe, we help increase profit margins fand thus make everyone richer. The players don't share this sentiment.
Typically, these big-ticket items tend to cause a lockout. All it takes is one side – either the player or the owners – to opt out of the current CBA by a specific date (this time Dec. 2026), and enter negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Lockouts are not merely won and lost at the negotiating table, but also in the court of public opinion.
Complete list of MLB lockouts and games missed
There have been nine work stoppages in MLB history, the first of which occurred in 1972, with the last coming in 2021. A 2026-27 lockout – which looks more likely by the day – would be the 10th lockout in league history.
Season | Games missed |
|---|---|
1972 | 86 |
1973 | 0 |
1976 | 0 |
1980 | 0 |
1981 | 712 |
1985 | 0 |
1990 | 0 |
1994-95 | 938 |
2021 | 91 |
While lockouts don't always result in missed games, they do often lead to resentment among fans, and are a legitimate threat to the popularity of the sport. For example, the longest lockout in MLB history, which included the 1994 World Series and most the 1995 season, nearly killed America's pastime as we know it. Were it not for the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase in 1998, who knows if MLB would be as popular as it is today?
What causes MLB lockouts?
MLB lockouts are often caused by key factors like revenue sharing, player earnings and rule changes. Some lockouts are more important than others. For example, MLB free agency came to be in part thanks to the 1981 lockout. Previously, teams owned their players' rights, and there was no free market for players to test their own worth.
There are some consistent causes of lockouts in sports, and thus baseball. First, CBAs naturally have an expiration date, along with opt outs either the owners or players can act upon. As mentioned, economic disagreements often play a role in any lockout, whether it be free agency, the lack of a salary cap or revenue sharing. Small-market team performance, or tanking for draft capital, can force the league to make drastic changes, as can the international draft.
There are no shortage of reasons for a lockout, but it should be noted that owners often pull the trigger on these opt-outs first. If the owners lock out the players in December, they will follow that trend.
Will there be another MLB lockout in 2026?
All signs point to an emphatic yes on this one. Tony Clark, now-former executive director of the MLBPA, has stepped down amid an investigation by the Eastern District of New York regarding using licensing money or equity to enrich themselves. That investigation has been ongoing for quite some time, but appears to have ramped up since the beginning of 2026, forcing Clark's ouster. Without a clear message and head of the players association, the owners have every reason to lock out the player this coming December to pursue key items like a salary cap, salary floor, contract deferrals and licensing rights.
Small-market owners in particular have expressed outrage over some of the actions of their contemporaries in MLB free agency. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets have all but ignored the luxury tax rules, and are willing to pay whatever fines necessary thanks to lucrative television contracts and revenue. That same revenue cannot be matched by the Pittsburgh Pirates or Miami Marlins, for example. Billionaires crying poor is unlikely to create much sympathy towards their cause, but the MLBPA lost their key organizers in Clark. Can they still take advantage of the flaws in the owners argument?