Sources Tell Jeff Passan

Everything to Know About the MLB Lockout

September 15, 2026·45 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Jeff Passan asked all 30 MLB owners for an interview about baseball's looming labor war. He got 30 nos. So he answers the biggest questions himself — the ones ownership won't touch on the record. MLB is pushing for its first salary cap in over 30 years, and the MLBPA has called the league's proposal "the worst system for players in any of the major sports — and it's not close." With the CBA set to expire and a lockout looking more likely by the week, Jeff breaks down what a cap would actually fix, who benefits, and why a full season could disappear in 2027 the way one did in hockey in 2004-05. Along the way: a hard look at the Dodgers' payroll and luxury tax spending compared to the rest of the league, the legal nuclear options both sides are sitting on, the ghost of 1994, and how close baseball is to a shutdown nobody in charge wants to talk about. Five questions. Zero owners willing to answer them. One very real chance the game stops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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