{"id":4889,"date":"2026-06-21T18:06:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T18:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4889"},"modified":"2026-06-21T18:06:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T18:06:37","slug":"both-fans-and-players-fear-mlb-lockout-in-2027-survey-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4889","title":{"rendered":"Both fans and players fear MLB lockout in 2027, survey finds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In separate polls of 101 anonymous MLB players and almost 8,500 fans conducted by The Athletic, an overwhelming majority of both groups indicated that they were bracing for a lockout before the 2027 season.<\/p>\n

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In the first segment released from The Athletic\u2019s annual MLB player poll, which was conducted across 23 teams from February to May, 80 respondents said they believed that there would be a lockout this offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there will 100% be a lockout,\u201d one American League pitcher said. \u201cBut the real question is whether or not it\u2019ll bleed into losing games. Probably.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pitcher pointed to Commissioner Rob Manfred\u2019s pending retirement from his post, expected in January 2029. \u201cThis is Manfred\u2019s last task to accomplish before it\u2019s all done, and I think he\u2019s going to try to get a salary cap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nineteen players polled said they were not sure. Only two players said they did not expect a lockout to occur.<\/p>\n

In the fan survey, 77.7% of respondents said they believed that MLB would miss games in 2027 as a result of a lockout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they lose only a few games, but both sides are dug in,\u201d one fan said.<\/p>\n

That specter serves as negotiating leverage for both the league and the MLB Players Association. But with the sport experiencing boosts in attendance, ratings and overall interest, fan sentiment could have consequences.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u2019s fan survey revealed that 21.8% of respondents said missing games could turn them away from MLB \u201cfor a significant amount of time,\u201d while 33.7% said it would depend on how many games would be canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re not going to lose games,\u201d one player from the National League West said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to find a way to play 162, but there\u2019s going to be some kind of inconvenience with the spring training.\u201d<\/p>\n

As all sides brace for a labor fight this winter, the solution remains uncertain. In MLB\u2019s initial labor proposal, the league pitched a hard salary cap of $245.3 million and a hard floor of $171.2 million.<\/p>\n

Players have indicated that they would fight back against such a system. The fan survey, however, showed that 57.9% of participating fans want a cap-and-floor system. Support for the game\u2019s current market system was at 38.9%.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

When the question was narrowed, however, 44.4% of fans supported a soft cap and floor, compared with 39.7% supporting a hard cap and floor.<\/p>\n

The initial bargaining proposal from the players\u2019 union pitched raising existing \u201cluxury tax\u201d thresholds and instituting a \u201ccompetitive integrity tax\u201d for clubs that do not meet minimum payroll benchmarks.<\/p>\n

For fans, a perception of poor competitive balance seems to drive at least some of the desire for a cap.<\/p>\n

When asked whether MLB\u2019s competitive balance is better or worse than the NBA, the NFL and the NHL \u2014 all of which operate with salary caps \u2014 57.7% of respondents said worse. Last season\u2019s Los Angeles Dodgers, operating with a league-high payroll, became the first team to win consecutive World Series since the Yankees from 1998 to 2000.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk yourself who is going to win the Super Bowl next year and you could have 15 possible choices,\u201d one fan responded. \u201cWorld Series? The Dodgers \u2026 and perhaps three or four other teams could get lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked who was primarily responsible for the wide spending disparity in the sport, 59.9% of fans said owners who spent too little. Only 15.6% blamed owners who spend too much.<\/p>\n

The debates over the sport\u2019s financial system and overall parity will most likely rage for months. The league\u2019s current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.<\/p>\n

Although a majority of the responding fans supported some form of a cap-and-floor system, when asked who would be to blame if MLB ultimately misses games, only 21.9% of fans said they would blame the players. A total of 45.3% indicated that they would blame owners. Just over 30% said they would blame both sides equally.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery owner is perfectly capable of raising payroll, so it\u2019s not necessarily an unfair system, just an unequal one,\u201d one fan said.<\/p>\n

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In polling of MLB players and baseball fans, overwhelming majorities of both groups believe there will be a lockout ahead of the 2027 season as the owners push for a salary cap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nBoth fans and players fear MLB lockout in 2027, survey finds - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4889\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Both fans and players fear MLB lockout in 2027, survey finds - 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