MLB owners already pushing back on players' first CBA proposal as work stoppage looms after 2026 season

Cubs co-owner tells Dan Dakich he believes the MLB will have an Opening Day next season & avoid a strike that bleeds into the start of the season.

It's a widespread expectation in and around Major League Baseball that there will be a work stoppage at the end of the 2026 season.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Players Association and the league’s owners expires in early December, and unlike some labor talks, there are significant questions both sides want to address before a new deal is reached.

Those negotiations have actually already started, with the two sides meeting in New York City to set the table for further conversations. While initial reports suggested that these conversations would be mostly speculative, there's now some detail coming out about where both sides are in the negotiations.

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ESPN reported on Wednesday that the Players Association side submitted its first proposal on how to adjust baseball's financial situation moving forward. And unsurprisingly, the ownership side doesn't seem very happy about it.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks to the media before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis., on May 25, 2023. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

ESPN's Jeff Passan's post said that the players' first proposal focuses on one of the biggest problems plaguing the league right now: cheap owners refusing to spend money on their teams. Instead of a salary cap that limits earnings, they've proposed a "competitive-integrity tax." 

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