Baseball labour talks have begun — here's what could be in store for the league and the Jays

Major League Baseball's collective agreement is set to expire at the end of the season, and J.P. Ricciardi sees storm clouds on the horizon.

"I think we're really in uncharted waters," said the former Blue Jays general manager and current analyst for the New England Sports Network, weighing in on the tensions emerging as team owners push to establish a salary cap in the sport.

"This has the potential to be one of the worst strikes in baseball history."

The contentious proposal has the league's owners and its players' union at odds, so much so that Ricciardi and other observers are expecting a lockout when the season is over.

Here's a look at what's happened so far and what it all means for the Blue Jays.

MLB's current bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. It began in 2022, with the two sides reaching a deal after a 99-day lockout that delayed the start of that season.

That five-year agreement notably brought designated hitters to the National League on a full-time basis and expanded the number of teams that play in the post-season.

But that was then, with the two sides now jostling over what the next labour deal should look like.

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The union, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), wants higher minimum salaries for major leaguers and more revenue sharing to help small-market teams, among other proposals it has publicly disclosed.

MLB and its franchise owners want a salary cap of $245.3 million US — meaning teams couldn't spend more than that on players in a given season — and a corresponding payroll floor that would require clubs to spend at least $171.2 million. The owners say this will level the competition, so deep-pocketed teams