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Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLB Players Association, talks to reports before Game 1 of the 2025 World Series. (Photo by Rob Tringali\/MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
MLB Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n
No matter how much anyone tries to diminish it, the word \u201clockout\u201d is going to hang over the 2026 Major League Baseball season like a plump slider about to be deposited into the far reaches of your favorite neighborhood ballpark.<\/p>\n
Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association, has sounded like a broken record this year each time he\u2019s addressed the media: Let\u2019s not try to fix what isn\u2019t broken. During spring training, at the All-Star Game, the World Series and this past week after player meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., with selected members of the press. <\/p>\n
An unedited audio file of that conversation was provided to Forbes by the union.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an organization you get ready for the next negotiations as soon as the ink is dried on the previous one,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for the other side, but our interests are getting into the room and hammering out a fair and equitable deal. That\u2019s our commitment. The other stuff is just noise.”<\/p>\n
The current Basic Agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1, 2026. Negotiations typically begin during spring training and will be the last for commissioner Rob Manfred, who says he will retire<\/a> when his current contract expires on Jan. 25, 2029.<\/p>\n The union is anticipating tough sessions and is preparing for at least an offseason lockout, a redux of what happened before the current contract was signed during the spring of 2022. While that season was delayed, games were not missed.<\/p>\n There have been no negotiations thus far, either front or back channel, Clark said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lines of communication are open. And any time those happen our players know about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Manfred rattled the sword about another lockout, although lately he\u2019s been silent on the issue, refusing to address it during the World Series. Clark spoke out during last spring training saying, \u201cUnless I am mistaken, the league has said there\u2019s going to be a work stoppage. So, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m speaking out of school in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t mention the possible lockout in his 35-minute talk last week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never go into negotiations trying to miss games,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for the other side. But in our history we\u2019ve missed games. We go in trying to move the industry forward. But we\u2019re going to be prepared for what the other side is telling us they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n The owners have talked about a salary cap and floor as exists in all the other organized pro sports to allegedly promote competitive balance. But the union is dead set against that. They will point out there are penalties in the current contract, involving the luxury tax threshold, many of them not enforced.<\/p>\n Lesser earning teams are supposed to invest their revenue-sharing dollars \u2013 with some exclusions \u2013 into player payrolls. Some do and others use it to offset losses.<\/p>\n Clark said this has been a hot topic of discussion with the players. Every team has the wherewithal to compete, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing there are some teams that can compete, but have chosen not to, how does that affect the industry?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n