All articles tagged with #cba
MLB has sent teams a memo outlining procedures for a likely lockout starting December 1, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires. The league aims to freeze offseason activity to avoid a player strike during the season. Key issues include the status of the Rule 5 draft, player interactions, and potential impacts on the 2027 season and broadcast revenue.
The 2026 MLB postseason features a split between the National League’s deep rosters and a weaker American League. The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite an aging roster, are favored to win a third consecutive title, while the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays are strong contenders. The collective bargaining agreement expiration in December is the most critical off-season factor.
With the NHL/NHLPA’s new CBA taking effect, limits on front-loaded contracts and signing bonuses are accelerating negotiations around key RFAs. Cutter Gauthier is expected to land a six-year Ducks deal in the $13–14 million per year range; Adam Fantilli’s unsigned status remains slow with a notable gap. Drake Batherson’s eight-year extension remains far apart as he approaches free agency, while Alexander Nikishin has requested a trade and is unsigned. Edvinsson’s talks sit idle pending Detroit’s new leadership, Arber Xhekaj’s deal could come soon, Martin St. Louis secured a long-term Canadiens extension, and Joe Sakic’s Avalanche GM role is now confirmed as full-time.
Quinn Hughes says he’s in no rush to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, preferring to focus on a summer reset and a strong start to training camp. He’s confident in the team and his fit there, and he’ll pursue an extension only when it makes sense for him and the organization. The new NHL collective bargaining agreement reduces the maximum length of deals to seven years, which could shape timing and structure of any future pact. Hughes downplays fan theories about joining his brother or pressuring the Wild, emphasizing that the decision will be his to make.
MLB has proposed two offseason quiet periods tied to a cap/floor system: a November window prohibiting free-agent signings with new teams (except re-signings) and a two-week free-agent window at the Winter Meetings, followed by a late-December to early-February moratorium. The league argues the move would energize and speed up the offseason, but the MLBPA rejected the plan, warning a cap would erode player rights. The proposal also includes other roster and Rule 5 draft changes, as talks continue ahead of the December 1 CBA expiration and potential lockout.
MLB has floated a comprehensive CBA package that includes a formal offseason transaction window with a quiet period before the Winter Meetings, a post-Winter Meetings/trades window through December 21, a freeze afterward, and a February reopening to spur more market activity under a cap-and-floor system. It also rewrites the Rule 5 Draft with earlier eligibility, the optioning of the drafted player to the minors, weekly roster restrictions like the postseason (no frequent up/down moves), a 26-man roster with up to 14 pitchers, a reduction of option years from five to four, and shorter injured-list durations (7 days for position players, 14 for pitchers).
Front Office Sports reports that Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White say they intend to enter the 2027 WNBA draft by identifying as women, but the league’s current CBA rule states only players who are women are eligible to play; the declarations are described by league sources as publicity stunts, and there is no language about gender identity in the CBA. Freedom was briefly ejected from a Chicago game after a confrontation with Natasha Cloud, with questions remaining about whether he can return to WNBA arenas.
A resurfaced 2021 WNBA Pride post praising transgender high-school athletes Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller is used to argue that the league still hasn’t defined what constitutes a 'woman' in its new CBA, leaving gender eligibility in the WNBA unclear as pressure builds from figures like Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White to clarify who can compete. The piece contends the WNBA prioritized supporting trans athletes over protecting girls’ sports, cites Alliance Defending Freedom’s lawsuit on behalf of affected female athletes, and references Sophie Cunningham’s remarks about fairness vs. competing against biological men.
The NFL Players Association launched a coordinated #WorthTheCost push urging all NFL stadiums to install high-quality grass, arguing for player safety and tradition. But with roughly half the league already on grass and the rest on artificial turf, a league-wide switch would require enormous installation and maintenance costs and could force revenue losses from other events. Any grass mandate would likely hinge on concessions in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, making the effort unlikely to succeed purely as a campaign, though some teams (like the Bills) have pursued grass in new facilities and others might explore it in the future.
During the All-Star break, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred pushed for a long-term salary cap to preserve competitiveness, citing a $441 million payroll gap, while MLBPA director Bruce Meyer argued caps would protect owners and hurt fans. The public sparring suggests little substantive movement before the December CBA deadline, with progress likely only when Spring Training approaches.
OutKick's Zach Dean reports Geno Auriemma downplayed Caitlin Clark’s ability to transform the WNBA, arguing the hype surrounding her is overblown and drawing a comparison to Tiger Woods’ influence in golf. The piece notes Clark’s presence has driven increased attention and, in the post-Clark CBA era, salaries and benefits have risen dramatically (team caps up, max salaries up to about $1.4 million, average pay roughly quadrupled) with changes like charter flights. It frames Clark as pivotal to making the league more profitable, while noting ongoing debate over whether her impact is the sole driver of those gains.
MLB's proposed CBA would cap free-agent contracts, add a Bird Rule-like extra year to help teams retain their own players, and raise the minimum salary for players with two years of service, signaling a protracted negotiation; the piece also aggregates Yankees-focused updates from multiple outlets, including Cam Schlittler's strong form against rivals, McMahon's illness update, potential Tarik Skubal trade talk, and roster moves like J.C. Escarra being sent to Triple-A and Ali Sánchez returning from the paternity list.
After the NFL barred Brendan Sorsby from the supplemental draft, the NFL Players Association has not decided whether or how to challenge the NFL’s move, citing questions of standing since Sorsby isn’t yet a union member and potential effects on current players. Lawyer Jeffrey Kessler says a CBA violation could be raised, and Sorsby may ultimately have to sue the NFL to force a supplemental draft if needed.
Brendan Sorsby was barred from the NFL supplemental draft. His attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, says the exclusion violates the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (and the law) and plans to contest the decision with the NFLPA, which could challenge the move since the supplemental draft was created by the CBA. While Sorsby is not yet an NFLPA member, potential legal avenues, including a court challenge, are being explored, though no lawsuit has been filed; the decision also freezes Sorsby out until 2027.
As the WNBA celebrates its 30th season, A’ja Wilson’s clutch fadeaway in the 2025 Finals embodies a league that has grown into a global, record-attended, high-salaried enterprise, now anchored by a landmark 2032 CBA with a $7 million salary cap, $1.4 million supermax, higher minimums, and expanding media and expansion plans that signal a new era for women’s basketball.