MLB Issues Detailed Lockout Blueprint as CBA Deadline Looms

Major League Baseball has begun preparing its 30 teams for a potential work stoppage as the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. According to reporting from The Athletic via Sportsnet, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem distributed a 34-page memo to owners and high-ranking executives on Oct. 1 detailing the protocols for a lockout.

The memo instructs team officials to avoid contact with players on 40-man rosters "to the greatest extent possible," noting that the boundary between prohibited and permissible conversations is often unclear. Under the proposed plan, the league would remove player videos and images from its website and ban most contact between players and team officials, mirroring steps taken during the 2021-2022 lockout. Additionally, the document provides pre-approved talking points for ticket sales staff and advises teams against sending holiday cards to players after Dec. 1.

While the memo states MLB remains committed to exhausting every realistic option to reach an agreement with the Players Association, it warns that clubs must be prepared for a lockout if no alternative is found. The league noted it will not prevent players from participating in Japan or winterball during a stoppage. Teams are permitted to provide off-season workout plans to players, provided they are delivered before the lockout begins.

Industry expectations suggest a significant impact on the off-season calendar. As reported by Sportsnet, the MLB Draft Lottery and the Winter Meetings in San Diego are expected to be cancelled if a lockout occurs. Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins told Sportsnet that while the team is operating "business as usual" for now, they are preparing for multiple outcomes.