MLB 'Lockout is Coming' After Tarik Skubal's Blockbuster Trade to Dodgers, Says Top Insider

After the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly acquired ace Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers ahead of Monday's trade deadline, the deal could have major ramifications for the league's future.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that MLB is likely headed toward a lockout after the 2026 season.

"The hysteria is coming. The lockout is coming," Rosenthal stated. "And amid all the noise, something important will be obscured. The Dodgers are good at this. Better than everyone else."

The last MLB lockout occurred before the 2022 season. While no games were canceled, Opening Day was pushed back to April 7 that year. It sounds like things are more dire this time around.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Threads that many in MLB are bracing for the possibility that the lockout could cancel the entire 2027 campaign, stating, "There are owners that believe there won't be a single game next season."

The biggest point of contention between the league and its players is the possible implementation of a salary cap system, which would likely have prevented the Dodgers from adding Skubal to their already astronomical payroll. Los Angeles is the clear favorite to win its third straight World Series title, but its deal for Skubal spotlighted how small-market teams have slim chances to remain competitive.

"What our fans in a number of our markets are telling us, better than half of them, is there's a lack of competitive balance in the game. And everything we propose is directed at addressing that fan concern," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last month before the All-Star Game.

"I believe that in order for this game to reach its full potential, we need to continue to address concerns that our fans have, particularly concerns that go to the core of what we're about — that is, competitive balance," he continued. "We need to make sure that fans in markets at the beginning of the season have a realistic belief that their team has a chance to win. I think that we need a system where fans, particularly in smaller markets, can have some hope that the players that are signed and developed by their organizations can actually stay there through free agency. And honestly, I think we need a system where there is a more robust free-agent market. So, if you don't want to go to New York or Los Angeles, you have a realistic opportunity to get a viable free-agent contract."

The lockout appears to be an inevitability after this season, so MLB and its players should be gearing up for lengthy negotiations later this year.