With the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expiring on December 1, 2026, a work stoppage in 2027 appears inevitable if the MLB and the MLBPA don’t reach an agreement. While fans are unsure whether they will even have an MLB season next year, an owner believes the White House may have to intervene to resolve the situation.

“If we miss spring training, I could see Donald Trump getting involved,” one owner told USA Today Sports on the condition of anonymity. “He could say, ‘Gentlemen, enough is enough. I want a deal. And I want it by the end of the week. Or else.'”

Owners proposed a salary cap and floor—a move that would reshape payroll across baseball. Teams would have to operate on a payroll within the maximum limit of $245.3 million and the minimum limit of $171.2 million. The ceiling is only a million dollars higher than this season’s luxury tax, $244 million.

But a $245.3 million salary cap spells problems for teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, who already have massive contracts in place. Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract runs through 2033, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 325 million contract through 2035, and Kyle Tucker’s $240 million deal through the 2029 season.

The Marlins face the opposite problem: they’d need to nearly triple payroll to meet the floor. Pete Fairbanks and Sandy Alcantara are their highest-paid players. Fairbanks is on a one-year, $13 million deal, while Alcantara signed a five-year, $56 million contract.

While the owners appear ready to adjust their payrolls, since they proposed the salary cap and floor, the MLBPA strongly disagrees. The union opted to remind the owners about the historic 1994-95 work stoppage in response to the proposed financial changes. The MLBPA has made its stance against the salary cap clear, warning that a work stoppage is the most likely outcome.

Without a deal, baseball faces a shutdown—and Trump may be the only figure with leverage to stop it. Meanwhile, Tarik Skubal has reinforced his support for the players’ association.

MLBPA member dubs salary cap ‘not good for players’

The MLBPA opposes implementing a salary cap, believing it would hamper players from earning their worth. The association also thinks that a salary cap will benefit owners and certainly not help maintain competitive balance. An executive member of the MLBPA subcommittee even openly criticized the salary cap.

“It’s [salary cap] not good for players. If you ask any other player in any other union, in the other major sports, they would agree, and they would want our CBA structure,” Tarik Skubal told Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

Before this season, the Detroit Tigers’ ace won a $32 million arbitration case, making him one of the highest-paid pitchers in the league. After the season, Skubal will become a free agent and could secure a massive contract of approximately $400 million. However, with a salary cap in place, there won’t be any such contract in the foreseeable future.

After posting a 2.70 ERA with a 3-2 record in seven starts, the Cy Young winner is out with an injury. Skubal underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow and is currently recovering. His return date has not yet been ascertained, though he could begin rehab in June at the earliest.