Baseball has enjoyed labor peace for 21 years, largely because the owners abandoned their pursuit of a salary cap. If a sport awash in money shuts down Wednesday night, it might well be because the players believe the owners want to get dangerously close to the equivalent of a salary cap.
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires at 9 p.m. PST. If there is no deal by then, owners reportedly have threatened to lock out players, which would not immediately put the 2017 season in jeopardy but would put a freeze on player signings. If a deal is close, owners and players could agree to extend negotiations beyond Wednesday.