Two years remain on the collective bargaining agreement.
There are just two years that remain on the Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement. In about 18 months, the two sides will know whether there could be a lockout or a strike looming over the 2027 spring training season and then the regular season. There are problems ahead. With the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership spending more money and big market franchises having the wherewithal to hand out large contracts, there is the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. Pirates ownership does not spend money for players and some Pirates fans want to see a change of ownership.
Gabe Mazefsky, a Pirates fan attending a game became sick and tired of the Pirates’ ballclub ineptitude. During the contest, he shouted in the direction of owner Bob Nutting’s suite “Sell the team Bob.” The crowd cheered. Mazefsky is on a quest to get Nutting to sell the team. Nutting is not selling the team. Mazefsky’s sentiment resonated with another Pirates fan, Zachary King. On November 12th, four billboards popped up in Pittsburgh. The message? “Abandon ship, Bob. Sell the team.” King has raised about $25,000 to keep the billboards up through January 5th, 2025. Mazefsky and King hope by putting visible pressure on Nutting that he would sell the business to someone who would invest money into the franchise. MLB has some very serious problems. John Fisher’s Athletics franchise is playing in a minor league park in Sacramento by choice until a Las Vegas stadium is ready but final funding for the Las Vegas stadium is not finalized and another franchise, Tampa Bay, is in a minor league park because of a hurricane. There is a television revenue problem. The Minnesota Twins franchise is up for sale. MLB has issues to resolve and that will impact the CBA negotiations.
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