Rob Manfred shares update about potential lockout, explains Little League Classic decision

During Sunday's edition of the Little League Classic game between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on the ESPN broadcast of the contest. 

Among the topics Manfred addressed was what seems to be an inevitable lockout, which is on track to begin once the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026. According to Manfred, fans shouldn't yet assume that the 2027 season will be impacted by a work stoppage. 

MLB "planning on playing baseball next year"

"We’re meeting regularly, which is good," Manfred said about labor talks between the two sides, per Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic. "Every week we’ve had days where we’ve met with the players. It’s early, but we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re at it. Look, our goal is to make a deal. We want to make a deal; we want to play baseball next year. We’re planning on playing baseball next year."

In February, ESPN's Jeff Passan shared that owners were "ready to burn the f---ing house down" and jeopardize the entire 2027 season to get a "hard" salary cap, similar to what is used in the NHL. In May, Evan Drellich of The Athletic mentioned that the league proposed a salary cap of $245.3M, a salary floor of $171.2M and a 50-50 split of revenues. The union has a long history of fighting against a cap, and there's no indication that is going to change anytime soon. 

Why MLB is continuing the Little League Classic

Also on Sunday, Manfred announced that next year's Little League Classic will take place on Thursday, Aug. 19 and feature the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays.

"Look, I love this event," Manfred said about the Little League Classic. "We feel comfortable coming back every year because there’s something fresh every year. The kids, and the interaction between our players and the kids — just really fantastic." 

One understandably may wonder how players feel about participating in the game held in Williamsport rather than at a traditional MLB ballpark. It sounds like owners haven't received much pushback from players regarding the event.

"The way the players embrace the entire day — you think about it, everybody knows our season (is) 162 games; they’re traveling all the time," Manfred added about the Little League Classic. "This is another plane flight. The facilities — obviously, we do the very best we can, but it’s not the same as being in a major-league ballpark, and you do not hear one complaint from the players. All you hear is what a positive experience it is for them. Some of the magic of the game, to tell you the truth."'

The Little League Classic made its debut in August 2017 and has happened every year since, except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.