Major League Baseball and the players' association began their collective bargaining negotiations - and public posturing - this week, seven months ahead of the current CBA's expiration. But with the sides far apart on key issues, many feel a lockout in December is inevitable.
Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper hopes the league and players can find common ground in at least one area: caring for the sport's health and future. He wants to see both sides use that to reach an agreement as fast as possible to avoid missing games in 2027.
"We're coming from two different areas, but we both have to understand our game is in a great position right now to succeed, and we can't lose that momentum," Harper told ESPN's Alden González. "We can't lose that momentum as players. We can't lose that momentum as owners. So, wherever we're at - whatever they're coming with, whatever we're coming with - you have to come to an agreement before any of that happens because there's other things to do.
"It's not like (in 1994), where there was nothing else to do. It's not just, 'Oh, baseball's here.' No, there's a lot of other things to do than just watch baseball."
Harper's wish may be easier said than done. Owners are pushing hard for a salary cap, claiming that it's needed to help smaller-market teams and increase competitive balance. A cap-and-floor system was the center of their first CBA proposal made Thursday, the first time owners have proposed the idea since 1994.
The players, by contrast, have already made it clear that they won't accept a cap - a stance the MLBPA has taken since the 1960s. Instead, they proposed a "competitive integrity tax" as the centerpiece of their initial CBA offer.
Harper's stance on a cap has been quite clear for several years. Last summer, he reportedly told commissioner Rob Manfred to "get the f--k out of our clubhouse" if he intended to discuss a salary cap. On Sunday, the two-time MVP admitted to not being surprised by MLB's cap proposal, something he's still against.
Harper also bristled at the notion that the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers are skewing competitive balance, noting that the two-time defending champions have a great track record of player development. He added that the Dodgers are one of the reasons that "our game is ... in a great place."
Overall, though, the most important thing for Harper, who isn't a part of the eight-player MLBPA executive subcommittee, is that baseball emerges from this contentious period without stopping the 2027 season. The last time MLB proposed a cap, it resulted in the infamous players' strike that ultimately canceled the 1994 World Series. If that happens this time, the 33-year-old fears the damage could be irreparable.
"It's just the first proposal," Harper said. "I don't wanna miss games. I don't think anybody wants to miss games. I'm getting later in my career, I don't wanna miss games. I would love to get this done, on a personal level, just because I don't wanna do that, but we'll see."
