Sports
If You Thought the 2022 MLB Lockout Was Bad, Just Wait Until 2026
Rob Manfred is probably right.
It is way too early to start worrying about what might happen in December 2026, when the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball players and owners expires.
There are two full seasons to enjoy between now and then, providing precious opportunities to watch Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Bobby Witt Jr. mash baseballs, to watch Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal make batters look foolish and to watch Shohei Ohtani both mash baseballs and make batters look foolish.
Except every time Manfred and his bosses open their mouths, they remind us of the uncertainty presented by 2027 — and beyond.
“I’m not going to speculate about what we’re going to propose, what we’re going to try to negotiate with the MLBPA — we’re a year away,” Manfred told reporters during his spring training tour in Arizona last week. “I owe it to the owners to give them an opportunity to coalesce around a bargaining approach.”
You do not need to be a master in corporate double talk to figure out the “bargaining approach” for owners — emboldened by a common enemy in the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a heavily deferred 10-year deal last winter and won the World Series before spending almost half a billion dollars this winter on 11 players — is going to include the words “salary cap.”
“If I’m going to be critical of something, it’s not going to be the Dodgers,” Manfred said. “It’s going to be the system.”
While owners have always desired a salary cap like the ones in the other major sports, they have not pushed for one since the 1994 strike, which lasted 232 days and forced the cancellation of the World Series. The 1995 season was days away from beginning with replacement players when a preliminary injunction against owners was issued in the Southern District of New York by Sonia Sotomayor, who is now a Supreme Court justice.
Thirty years later, the words from owners suggest they are gearing up to take another shot at implementing a salary cap — or at least not opposed to watching their peers try.
“I wish it would be the case that we would have a salary cap in baseball the way other sports do, and maybe eventually we will, but we don’t have that now,” Orioles owner David Rubenstein told Yahoo Finance in January.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, whose father, George, turned the Yankees into six-time champions by collecting superstars with no regard to payroll, said he would not be opposed to a salary cap, though he added he would want it to come with a salary floor. (This, beards and no more “New York, New York” after losses — what a week in the Bronx.)
Even Steve Cohen, the mega-billionaire Mets owner who signed Soto for $765 million and for whom the Cohen Tax — a 110% tax assigned to teams for every dollar they spend on payroll above $301 million — is named, shrugged off a question about a potential salary cap last week by saying he will “… compete under any circumstances.”
The MLBPA, under executive director and former big league first baseman Tony Clark, has remained steadfastly opposed to a salary cap, so a lengthy work stoppage would almost certainly ensue if the owners pushed for the cap.
Manfred was proud the lockout in 2022 did not result in any canceled regular season games. But would Manfred, who began his career as an outside counsel to baseball’s owners in the 1980s and said he plans to step down as commissioner in 2029, be willing to risk a lengthy work stoppage if the potential reward was a legacy-defining salary cap owners have been chasing for decades?
And what if the task of winning a salary cap was made easier because the union was fractured from within? While the Judges, Ohtanis and Sotos of the world have continued to earn nine-figure contracts, the middle class has been increasingly squeezed out. Former All-Stars such as Jose Iglesias, Craig Kimbrel, J.D. Martinez, Whit Merrifield, Jose Quintana and Anthony Rizzo all remain unsigned as March nears.
There were signs of a divide during the 2022 negotiations, when the CBA was approved by the union in a 26-12 vote that included nays from all eight executive subcommittee members, a group that included Max Scherzer, Andrew Miller and Gerrit Cole. Miller retired after the lockout, while Scherzer and Cole are no longer on the subcommittee.
“Quite frankly, I owe it to our fans not to get into all this too early,” Manfred said. “I mean, it’s bad enough when you’re doing it and bargaining and everybody’s worried about it. We’re just not there yet.”
Oh yes, we are.
Sports
NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
Sep 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder a(7) brings the ball up the pitch against Charlotte FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Their leading goal scorer wants out of town and their goalkeeper is public enemy No. 1 after a costly gaffe during the World Cup played a key role in the United States losing to Belgium in the round of 16.
But New York City FC is still relying on Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Matt Freese for big contributions Saturday night when the Chicago Fire invade Yankee Stadium.
Fernandez Mercau scored his 11th goal on a penalty kick Wednesday night during a 2-1 win at Columbus that got NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to .500. It came one day after reports that the club rejected an $18 million offer for his services, leading to his demand that the team transfer him.
“You see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of Fernandez Mercau. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Freese, whose whiffed clearing attempt led to a third goal for Belgium in a 4-1 win on July 6, was booed on every touch Wednesday. Despite the jeers, he made three saves in the team’s first fixture after the World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) sits third in the East table despite a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Inter Miami. The result snapped the Fire’s three-match winning streak.
Chicago opted not to stand pat during the summer transfer window, adding Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Lewandowski, the captain of Poland’s national team, started at Miami and played 63 minutes.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski’s signing led to the departure of star striker Hugo Cuypers. The Fire sold him to LIGA MX’s Monterrey for a reported $7.5 million after he scored 40 goals in 75 league matches over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 matches this season, tying Dallas’ Petar Musa for the league lead.
NYCFC is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal acquire Brayan Ceballos from Revs for up to $850K GAM
Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) congratulates defender Brayan Ceballos (3) after he scored his second goal during the first half against the FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The New England Revolution traded defender Brayan Ceballos to CF Montreal on Friday in exchange for up to $850,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
The payments were divided into $500,000 in 2026 GAM, $250,000 in 2027 GAM and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM. The Revs also retained a percentage of Ceballos’ sell-on rights should he be transferred again.
“Brayan is a reliable and versatile defender who can play effectively in a variety of systems, making him an important addition to our roster,” Luca Saputo, Montreal’s managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology, said in a statement. “His strengths will complement those already present in our defensive unit. We are confident that he will contribute to our collective objectives as well as the team’s development.”
Ceballos, 25, came to the Revolution from Brazil’s Fortaleza EC in January 2025. He had three goals in 38 career games (37 starts) for the Revs, with two of those goals coming in one game this season, March 15 against Cincinnati.
“We are grateful to Brayan for all his contributions during his time in New England. We wish him all the best in Montreal,” Revolution general manager Chris Tierney said in a statement. “As we look to continue improving the first team, generating this significant amount of allocation money will allow us to continue investing in the roster in the future.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Abu Dhabi Best Bets: Top Picks for Ankalaev vs. Guskov Fight Night
Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; UFC CEO Dana White talks to the press after the fight between Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images We’re one day away from the UFC returning to its Fight Island home on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for another weekend Fight Night. It’s the first of what is expected to be two occasions this year where the Octagon lands in Abu Dhabi, with the annual late October numbered card in Abu Dhabi expected.
The main event will see former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev taking on Bogdan Guskov.
This will be Ankalaev’s first fight since dropping the title to Alex Pereira last year at UFC 320. Before that, Ankalaev went on a 14-fight unbeaten streak, culminating with his UFC 313 title win over Pereira.
Guskov takes this fight on short notice, only being announced for this bout on July 13 after an injury to Khalil Rountree Jr. Guskov dropped his UFC debut but then won four straight. He most recently fought at UFC 323, battling former champion Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw.
The co-main event will see former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg battle Ramazan Temirov. After losing three straight, Erceg enters this bout with back-to-back wins, defeating Ode’ Osbourne last year and Tim Elliott this past May in Perth. Temirov, meanwhile, has won 11 straight, including his first two UFC bouts, finishing CJ Vergara and earning a decision over Charles Johnson.
The rest of the main card will see Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman, Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov, Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune, and Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev.
ISLAM DULATOV VS WELLINGTON TURMAN
Unbeaten since dropping his pro debut, Islam Dulatov is a name the UFC has had its eye on. He’s 11-1, had a strong first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series, and quickly finished Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut last year. At 6’3” and with a 75-inch reach, Dulatov is a fairly big man for the welterweight division. Add in his high-volume striking and pressure, and his ability to finish by either KO/TKO or submission, and you can see the danger he presents.
Wellington Turman is an experienced veteran of the Octagon, and he’ll look to trouble Dulatov with his jiu-jitsu work. This will be Turman’s first fight since December 2023, however, and he enters this fight on a three-fight losing skid. Signs point to this being another Dulatov showcase.
BET: Dulatov to win via KO/TKO in Round 1 (FanDuel: -110)
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VALTER WALKER VS THOMAS PETERSEN
How Valter Walker is not on the main card of this event is downright criminal. He might be fighting an unranked fighter and the heavyweight division might be lackluster, but he’s probably this writer’s favorite thing about the division right now. The man gets submissions like crazy, and he’s developing into one of the most talented heavyweights in a UFC division that desperately needs talent.
Petersen has talent, but he’s been up and down since entering the UFC – and I prefer the competition Walker has faced. Point blank, a loss for Walker here would be devastating for not just Walker, but the division as a whole. The challenge for making a play here is that Petersen has a wrestling base and has never been submitted…and yet, the way Walker’s momentum has been, that might not matter.
BET: Walker via submission (DraftKings: +165)
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DUSTIN JACOBY VS MUHAMMAD SAID
Dustin Jacoby might not reach the upper echelon of the UFC light heavyweight rankings, but he’s tough competition for anyone who is put in front of him. The power in his strikes, which stem from his kickboxing days, translated well into the Octagon. Not only are his losses not bad, but he’s riding a three-fight KO/TKO streak entering this bout.
Said is going to have a hometown factor in this one, and he’s a strong striker and finisher in his own right. The question about him is the level of competition. Jacoby is the most experienced guy he’s going to have fought – in his first six fights, he fought fighters who had no more than four fights. He’s faced experienced fighters in his last three, but they didn’t have the greatest of records.
Some have felt this will be a difficult fight to predict, but I’ll trust in both fighters’ finishing abilities.
BET: Fight to end via KO/TKO/DQ (Caesars: -125)
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