Contentious 2020 MLB Season Negotiations Make 2021 Lockout Far More Likely

As if worrying about when the truncated 2020 MLB season was going to start up again amid the coronavirus pandemic wasn't enough to dread, we have a fresh hot pile of labor strife that could make agreeing on a new CBA in 2021 even more difficult.

After originally settling on a salary reduction offset by a "lump sum" payment of $170 million to be split among players, the players are reportedly ready to go to "war" with the league if they start to ask about any further salary reductions. This makes a 2021 lockout even more likely.

The current CBA expires in 2021. At a time when labor relations between the league and players union are already tense, which has led some to believe that a lockout is inevitable, those tensions could be further amplified if the owners start to find ways to reduce player salaries on multiple occasions.

If the owners continue to insist on it, the damages caused could be totally irreconcilable.

It may not be the pandemic that prevents us from getting baseball back in a timely fashion, but a dispute between the owners and players because of the greediness of some multi-billionaires. Hopefully cooler heads prevail at the negotiating table.