Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The day-to-day drama of baseball, especially if you are a fan of the San Diego Padres, consumes most MLB fans. From walk-off wins, to plays at the plate every night gives fans of any and all teams something to talk about. Of course, if you are a fan of a well-performing team, you talk about the daily
events, but you also look toward the future and potential postseason berth. If you are a fan of a poor-performing team, you talk about that as well but might set your sights on the draft or offseason free agency.
For fans of the well-performing and poor-performing teams there is something else that draws your attention and that is the upcoming end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB owners and the MLB players association (MLBPA). The current CBA expires on Dec. 1, 2026 at 11:59 EST. The owners and MLBPA can communicate and negotiate to reach an agreement on a new CBA before that expiration, but it is unlikely to happen, which means the potential for a lockout looms large in the minds of owners, players, coaches and fans.
Situations like this always create some division. Any time there are two sides working to find a middle ground a split in loyalties and ideologies is natural and expected. That split extends to MLB fans as well. A recent national MLB SBNation Reacts poll shows fans are prepared to blame the MLB owners if a lockout occurs.
MLB is littered with stars on every team, and the game seems to be more popular now than it has been in recent memory. A lockout would derail the offseason and could affect Spring Training and the regular season if the two sides could not reach an agreement. A work stoppage or potential work stoppage could take away from the positive momentum the game has been building and could have a significant impact on how teams view player contracts. That could determine whether a team pursues a player or not. The overwhelming majority of fans in a recent national MLB SBNation Reacts poll think a lockout would wipe out the value of a 2027 contract.
It could be a rough offseason, so maybe we should all enjoy MLB as long as we can no matter how our team is performing.
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