03/15/26 08:00:00
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03/15 19:58 CDT New union head says 2027 MLB work stoppage could disrupt plans
for big leaguers at 2028 Olympics
New union head says 2027 MLB work stoppage could disrupt plans for big leaguers
at 2028 Olympics
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- A work stoppage that leads to canceled games during the 2027
Major League Baseball season could disrupt plans under discussion to have big
league players participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Major League Baseball Players Association is negotiating with Major League
Baseball, the IOC, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic
and Paralympic Games and the World Baseball Softball Confederation on the
six-nation baseball event, scheduled for Dodger Stadium from July 13-19 during
what could be an extended All-Star break.
MLB and the union also are preparing for the start of bargaining in April or
May for a labor contract to replaced the current five-year agreement that
expires Dec. 1. A management lockout is expected to start Dec. 2.
"It can be on a separate track, but I'm sure it will come up in the course of
negotiations," new acting union head Bruce Meyer said Sunday night at the World
Baseball Classic. "If we're in a situation where games are being missed in '27,
that could have an impact on playing the Olympics after that."
Meyer said a lost 2027 season would eliminate big leaguers from the 2028
Olympics.
"If we don't have a season, we're not going to play in the Olympics," he said.
MLB has not lost regular-season games due to a labor dispute since 1995.
Insurance and player accommodations remain issues that must be resolved for MLB
players to appear at the Olympics. At the WBC, costs are split proportionally
among the shareholders --- MLB and the union have equal stakes that are the
most, and the WBSC, Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball
Organization also own minority shares.
"The federations involved, the IOC, we still have a lot of issues to work out
with the league," Meyer said. "Pretty much everything other than the qualifying
--- issues like insurance, transportation, and a whole variety of issues. ...
Housing, lodging, security is all still under discussion."
Players during the regular season are entitled to "first-class jet air and
hotel accommodations," according to their labor contract, and they likely would
not want to stay in dormitory-type rooms commonly used at Olympics.
For players not in the Olympics, discussions are exploring the possibility of
having teams play exhibition games against each other or minor league
affiliates.
Meyer spoke on the field at the Miami Marlins' loanDepot park before the U.S.
played the Dominican Republic for a berth in Tuesday's WBC final against
Venezuela or Italy.
A crowd of 34,548 attended Venezuela's 8-5 upset win over Japan in a
quarterfinal Saturday night. The Marlins drew 1.16 million at home last year,
28th among the 30 teams, and drew 29 crowds of less than 10,000.
"In this market, in Miami, you can see the the fan interest in baseball, which
unfortunately is perhaps not maximized by the franchise here," Meyer said.
MLB and the union are discussing the possibility of having exhibition games
during an extended 2028 break for those players not at the Olympics.
The Dominican Republic and Venezuela have qualified along with the host U.S.
and one team from Asia and one team from Europe/Oceania can qualify from this
November's WBSC Premier 12 tournament.
A final qualifying tournament will be played no later than March 2028 that
includes the top two non-yet-qualified teams from the latest Asia Championship,
the top two non-yet-qualified teams from the latest European Championship, the
highest-placed non-yet-qualified team from the latest Africa Championship and
the highest-placed non-yet-qualified team from the latest Oceania Championship.
Meyer was promoted to acting union head last month following the forced
resignation of Tony Clark, a former All-Star first baseman who had led players
since 2013. An investigation by the union's outside counsel discovered evidence
that Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union
employee since 2023.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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