The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association remains on track to expire on Dec. 1, 2026, as there continues to be no sign that the two sides will come to any sort of agreement before that date. 

Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested that concerned baseball fans shouldn't expect to hear any good news about the 2027 season this year. 

"Serious talks" between MLB, MLBPA may not happen until this point

"When it comes to talking about that monstrous elephant in the room, the one that’s expected to result in a Dec. 1 lockout that could last anywhere from a few months to Memorial Day weekend to the entire season, that’s going to have to wait," Nightengale wrote. "Those serious talks may not transpire until February, just like the 99-day lockout in 2021, when nothing became urgent until spring training was about to commence." 

Of course, the "elephant" mentioned by Nightengale is MLB's desire for a "hard" salary cap, similar to what is used in the NHL. To the surprise of nobody who has followed this matter, a story from earlier in September revealed that union members have "zero" desire to accept a hard cap before the scheduled 2027 Opening Day arrives. Later, former superstar player and current MLB analyst Alex Rodriguez warned that he had "spoken to dozens of people from both sides" and learned that "they’re both dug in like I’ve never seen before in 35 years of being around the game of baseball at the major leagues." 

How Sept. 11, 2026 could impact CBA talks

"Circle last Friday on the CBA negotiations calendar," Nightengale continued. "This was the date the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays became the first teams in baseball to clinch playoff berths. Yes, the two smallest markets in all of baseball are the first ones invited to the October dance. And the proof, the union declares, that baseball does not have a competitive balance problem. The Brewers, who reside in the smallest market in baseball and have the 11^th-lowest payroll, are back in the postseason for the eighth time in the last nine years...The Rays, another small-market team with the seventh-smallest payroll, are in the playoffs for the sixth time in the last nine years and about to clinch the AL East over the powerful and rich New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox."

Perhaps most concerning as it pertains to the 2027 campaign, Nightengale added that there is "a growing sentiment that baseball may not be played until Memorial Day weekend" next year. As much as one would think neither side wants to infuriate paying customers who simply want to watch their favorite teams next spring, it sounds like fans should be prepared for the 2027 season to be a shortened one if games are played at all.