Like many others in the baseball world, Hall of Famer John Smoltz is concerned about the possibility of an MLB lockout.
The current collective bargaining agreement between the league and the MLB Players Association will expire after the 2026 season, setting up a long-anticipated negotiating period, with the prospect of a work stoppage looming.
Smoltz said it won’t be a good look if things can’t be worked out between the two sides.
“We know that if they don’t get this worked out, baseball will suffer. They cannot afford to have a stoppage with all the good that has been done and all the great games that have been played lately with the World Series,” Smoltz told Fox News Digital.
At the end of May, the league’s proposal included a salary floor for each ball club and a “more divisive” salary cap, something the players have long been opposed to.
MLB made clear it didn’t agree with the MLBPA’s first proposal, which did not call for any sort of spending cap.
“The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount [of money] transferred to lower-revenue Clubs, weaken the Competitive Balance Tax, and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today,” MLB said in a statement after it released its own proposal.
“For example, under the Union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.”
Smoltz spoke to what he believes is a competitive balance issue across the league, which is a factor in these CBA negotiations.
“There’s a competition issue within baseball that some system is claiming that it’s going to fix. I question that big time,” Smoltz added. “Until you have teams and owners that want to put the best product they can on the field in their market, it’s hard for me to be able to tell somebody what they can and can’t spend in a free market world.”
Baseball has certainly achieved momentum in the American consciousness as of late. The league shared in early May that viewership is up 44 percent compared to the 2025 season for exclusive national games, the best number in the past nine seasons. The excitement brought on by the 2025 World Series certainly helped with that; Game 7 averaged a combined 51 million viewers across the United States, Canada and Japan.
