LAS VEGAS — Baseball’s general managers are meeting in Las Vegas this week, and negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement are hanging in the background of their team-building conversations.
The GMs are well aware of what could be coming, but when it comes to roster construction, they said little has changed in their approach.
“I’m looking at long term always,” Milwaukee Brewers GM Matt Arnold said. “Right now, we’re worried about the ’26 season. We’re always keeping an eye on ’27, ’28 and ’29 as well.”
The CBA expires Dec. 1, 2026, and the sides appear to be far apart, increasing the likelihood of a lockout roughly 13 months from now. Barring an agreement, regular-season games could be lost for the first time since 1995.
“Every team seems to be approaching that a little bit differently, which I think is to be expected,” Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. “The position that we’re in here with the Red Sox is pretty firmly focusing on what we can do for the ‘26 roster and contending for the World Series.”
Major League Baseball is the only major North American league without a salary cap, and the players’ association staunchly opposes a cap.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed concern about the vast spending gap between clubs. The Los Angeles Dodgers exceeded $500 million in payroll and projected luxury tax in capturing their second World Series in a row, while teams at the bottom of the money table spend a fraction of that.
How negotiations progress and when the dispute is ultimately settled is anyone’s guess.
“I think it’s something on the horizon that’s well above my head,” Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said. “I just want to try to win games.”
That was the common sentiment at the GM meetings. The executives have enough to be concerned about with the immediate future and are operating as usual.
“It has not affected us so far,” Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “I can’t speak for other clubs, but we’re moving forward.”
Athletics GM David Forst said he wasn’t concerned about CBA talks overshadowing next season, pointing to the lockout from December 2021 to March 2022 that is still present in the minds of those involved in the talks.
“It’s not part of our daily conversation,” Forst said. “We let other people sort out the labor situation.”
Officials tour A’s stadium site
Forst said he and other team and league officials toured the future site of the A’s $2 billion stadium on Tuesday. He said Manfred checked out the site on the Strip later that day.
“It’s great to see the progress that’s been made,” Forst said. “It’s moving quickly to my eye. I don’t have a lot of experience with that.”
The club, which plans to move to Las Vegas in 2028, just completed the first of three scheduled seasons in West Sacramento, California.
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