Overview
- The collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026, and league sources report owners are expected to lock out players if no new deal is reached by that time.
- Team owners have circulated a concrete cap-and-floor proposal reportedly near a $245.3 million cap and a $171.2 million floor, which the players' union refuses to accept.
- The players have rejected a hard cap and countered with alternatives such as higher luxury-tax thresholds and other bargaining options.
- A lockout would immediately halt free-agent signings, trades and team contact with players on 40-man rosters and would bar teams from using player likenesses.
- Past stoppages, especially the 1994–95 strike and the 2021–22 lockout, show talks typically intensify in February and that failing to reach a deal by early to mid-March could delay Opening Day or threaten a full 162-game 2027 schedule.