One of Major League Baseball's owners just destroyed the league's entire argument for a lockout

The starts later this week, and with it, potentially the last Major League Baseball games we'll see for quite some time.

On Dec. 1, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league's owners and the MLB Players Association expires. Barring some extremely unforeseen circumstances, the owners will immediately proceed to a lockout. Players will be barred from contact with team personnel, unable to use team facilities, along with many other noticeable changes designed to pretend as though the stars who sustain the sport don't exist.

Nobody knows how long negotiations to determine the next Collective Bargaining Agreement will take to resolve. Nobody knows how long the lockout will continue, or if spring training or the 2027 regular season will start on time. If the league will miss games and potentially jeopardize the sustained growth baseball has enjoyed. For example, the 2026 NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers was the highest rated LCS from either league since 2015, despite lasting just four games.

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Attendance has increased. National ratings have increased. And the owners are reportedly committed to blowing it all up in order to fight for a salary cap. Except one of their newest members just accidentally blew up their entire case and rationalization for it.

The salary cap fight stems from anger and outrage over the Los Angeles Dodgers' offseason spending. After winning the 2024 and 2025 World Series, the Dodgers added Kyle Tucker on a $240 million, 4-year deal. Then signed closer Edwin Diaz to a 3-year, $69 million contract. Opposing fans were furious, some suggested canceling the season because a third straight title was a foregone conclusion, and prominent writers egged them on with misleading comments.

Fast forward to late October and it's almost impossible to age worse than these predictions of baseball doom. Kyle Tucker was a below average hitter in Los Angeles, one of the worst values of any player in the sport. Edwin Diaz had an ERA near nine in the regular season, battled several injuries, and turned in one of the worst reliever seasons in baseball. The Dodgers won the division series, then got swept by the small market Brewers. The American League will send either the Cleveland Guardians, with the lowest payroll in the league, or the endlessly cheap Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series.

But that's not even the worst part for the league office. Fans are quick to dismiss these (quite common) results as "outliers." Even though the Rays are one win from their second World Series appearance in the past seven seasons, more than the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Giants, Cubs, or Angels. Even though a Guardians appearance would be their second appearance since 2016, again, more than any of those organizations. And even though the Brewers have the best record in baseball for two straight seasons.

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