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  "path": "/cubs/2026/02/18/mlb-players-association-bracing-for-lockout-before-2027-season-all-but-guaranteed-bruce-meyer-executive-director",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-19T01:23:00.000Z",
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  "textContent": "<p>MESA, Ariz. — The MLB Players Association is bracing for a league-imposed lockout when their current collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1.</p><p>“I think a lockout is all but guaranteed at the end of the agreement,” Bruce Meyer said outside the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs\" >Cubs</a>’ spring training facilities Wednesday afternoon, before he was <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/mlb/2026/02/18/mlbpa-names-bruce-meyer-interim-executive-director\" >unanimously elected interim executive director</a> by the MLBPA executive board. “The league has pretty much said that. Their strategy in bargaining has always been to put as much pressure on the players as they can to try and create divisions and cracks among our membership. It's never worked. I don't think it ever will work.”</p><p>Meyer, previously the deputy executive director, was at Cubs camp to meet with the players as part of the union’s annual spring training circuit.<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/02/17/cubs-react-to-tony-clark-resigning-as-mlbpa-executive-director-the-strength-of-the-union-is-in-the-players\" > Tony Clark’s resignation as executive director Tuesday</a> pushed back the players association’s camp meeting schedule, but it picked back up Wednesday with the Royals and Cubs.</p><div class=\"RelatedList Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center> <div class=\"RelatedList-title\">Related</div> <ul class=\"RelatedList-items\"> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/mlb/2026/02/18/mlbpa-names-bruce-meyer-interim-executive-director\" >MLBPA names Bruce Meyer interim executive director</a> </li> </ul> </div> <p>“Our staff, we've worked for years with Tony,” Meyer said. “We all have feelings for him as a human being. It's been very hard for a lot of us, for a lot of reasons. We haven't gotten much sleep, and in my case, haven't eaten much either. We've been on the phone, as you can imagine, informing players, agents reaching out.</p><p>“But it's fine. The union is strong, will remain strong. This is not going to affect collective bargaining in any way, really. And we’ve just got to make sure we put the players in the best position to understand what's going on, make whatever informed decisions they're going to make. And whatever that takes, we're committed to do.”</p><p>MLBPA leadership addressed Clark’s resignation in the meeting with Cubs players but also forged ahead, discussing expected bargaining topics, according to sources. Meyer declined to comment on specifics.</p><p>“I’ll say, they were both very good meetings,” Meyer said. “A lot of great questions and participation from the players. So, terrific meetings.”</p><p>Meyer, who is expected to retain his role as the union's lead negotiator, is not the first person to suggest that a lockout could be coming. It was a tool the owners used last bargaining cycle. And the league has already floated the idea of a salary cap, which the players have long opposed.</p><p>“We are preparing for a concerted push on the other side for a salary cap,” Meyer said. “And we're ready for it, and our players are ready for it.”</p><p>MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, for his part, has downplayed the likelihood of a lockout that would impact the 2027 season. When asked in August what the contingency plan would be for the 2027 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field in the case of a work stoppage, he said: “My contingency plan is to make an agreement with the players and play the ‘27 season. “</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/02/16/cubs-chairman-tom-ricketts-on-potential-mlb-broadcast-consolidation-we-love-our-independence\" >Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts</a> this spring declined to weigh in on specific bargaining topics, saying he’d leave those decisions up to the league. But he said his advice to fans following the posturing on both sides would be: “Enjoy the season. Enjoy the games as we have them. Obviously it's the last year of the collective bargaining agreement. Both the league and the players association want to make some improvements from their perspective.”</p><p>The last time the owners and players sat down at a bargaining table to hammer out a CBA, the sport went through a 99-day lockout before the sides ratified an agreement. It came just in time to salvage the full season, with opening day pushed back about a week.</p><p>“We are ready, willing and able to negotiate whenever and wherever they are ready to do that,” Meyer said Wednesday. “And if we can get an early deal and avoid the negative effects of a lockout — which is their decision — coming off a great season of baseball, great playoffs — if we can get a fair deal that avoids that, we will make every effort to do that.”</p><p></p><bsp-listcarousel class=\"PageListE\" data-module data-column-count=3 data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-hide-descriptions=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-c90005\" name=\"list-c90005\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs\" target=\"{borderColor=#dfdfdf, pageNumber=1, 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Its teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting.]}]}], anchorId=promo-a30000, target=null, category=[{items=[MLB]}], primaryMediaType=null, media=[{narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/fc/34/bb0b180b48c99d36df69c9d02760/ap21336638856377.jpg, width=5670, height=3780}, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/fc/34/bb0b180b48c99d36df69c9d02760/ap21336638856377.jpg, width=5670, height=3780}, alt=Bruce Meyer}], url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/mlb/2026/02/18/mlbpa-names-bruce-meyer-interim-executive-director, ampLink=null, audio=[], audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}, {type=Image, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs, timestamp=1771374188000, wordCount=673, _styledTemplate=null, imageAlignment=null, isFeatured=false, title=Could Cubs' Seiya Suzuki carry postseason momentum through WBC for hot start to 2026?, category=[{items=[Cubs]}], anchorId=promo-a30001, target=null, primaryMediaType=null, publishDate=February 17, 2026 06:23 PM, ampLink=null, audio=[], url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/02/17/could-cubs-seiya-suzuki-carry-postseason-momentum-through-wbc-for-a-hot-start-to-2026, authors=[{authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/maddie-lee, name=[{items=[Maddie Lee]}], ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, jobTitle=[{items=[Chicago Cubs reporter]}], _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, bio=[], media=[]}], audioDuration=null, media=[{image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/d4/02/7cc4f8984805adb2330943efa227/st26-suzuki-07-f17.jpg, width=4200, height=2800}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/d4/02/7cc4f8984805adb2330943efa227/st26-suzuki-07-f17.jpg, width=4200, height=2800}, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=ST26-suzuki-07-f17.jpg}], _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs, description=[{items=[Suzuki is set to represent Japan in the World Baseball Classic, where he’ll play center field. He leaves Monday to join his national team.]}]}], slimFooter=false, hideHeadline=false, hideDates=true, headerBorderColor=#e9e9e9, ratingCardFont=font-1, titleTarget=null, tableCaptionColor=#626262, mobileCarousel=false, tableEvenRowsBgColor=#f9f8f3, containerTitleFont=font-2, listBorderColor=#dfdfdf, defaultArticleLeadStyle=standard, _parentFiles=[/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs]}\">Latest on the Cubs</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListE-items\"> <div class=\"PageListE-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"data-align-top> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"MLB Players Association bracing for lockout before 2027 season: 'All but guaranteed'\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/02/18/mlb-players-association-bracing-for-lockout-before-2027-season-all-but-guaranteed-bruce-meyer-executive-director\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/833ebec/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5737x3840+0+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc3%2F5a%2F7e37377944c580e190c2e8ea401e%2Funion-shakeup-baseball.jpg\"/> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/832ed99/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5737x3840+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc3%2F5a%2F7e37377944c580e190c2e8ea401e%2Funion-shakeup-baseball.jpg\"/> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Bruce Meyer\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/832ed99/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5737x3840+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc3%2F5a%2F7e37377944c580e190c2e8ea401e%2Funion-shakeup-baseball.jpg\"> </picture> </a></div> 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srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/66c6910/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5647x3780+23+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2F34%2Fbb0b180b48c99d36df69c9d02760%2Fap21336638856377.jpg\"/> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ad3ea7b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5647x3780+23+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2F34%2Fbb0b180b48c99d36df69c9d02760%2Fap21336638856377.jpg\"/> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Bruce Meyer\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ad3ea7b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5647x3780+23+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2F34%2Fbb0b180b48c99d36df69c9d02760%2Fap21336638856377.jpg\"> </picture> </a></div> <div 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  "title": "MLB Players Association bracing for lockout before 2027 season: 'All but guaranteed'",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-19T01:28:57.155Z"
}