Major League Baseball has endured several work stoppages over the past 50-plus years. But the next one, which could be less than 18 months away, could be worst one in the sport’s history – even worse than the 1994 strike that canceled the World Series.
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the players’ union is set to expire at the end of the 2026 season – and though that’s more than a year away, there is reason for baseball fans and those awaiting Missouri MLB betting to dread what might happen if owners push for a salary cap. The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes a cap.
Year | Length | Impact |
1972 strike | April 1-13 (13 days) | 86 regular-season games lost |
1973 lockout | Feb. 8-25 (18 days) | Delayed spring training, no regular-season games lost |
1976 lockout | March 1-17 (17 days) | No regular-season games lost, players got free agency |
1980 strike | April 1-8 (8 days) | No regular-season games lost |
1981 strike | June 12-July 31 (50 days) | Abbreviated season split into two halves |
1985 strike | Aug. 6-7 (2 days) | Lost games were made up |
1990 lockout | Feb. 15-March 18 (32 days) | Opening Day delayed a week, all games played |
1994-95 strike | Aug.12 -March 31 (232 days) | 1994 World Series canceled, ‘95 season delayed and shortened, 938 games lost |
2021-22 lockout | Dec. 2-March 10 (99 days) | No regular-season games lost; spring training and regular season delayed |
Source: CBS Sports
BetMissouri.com will track current developments and offer the best Missouri sportsbook promo codes when sports betting launches later this year.
If it seems odd that we’re talking about an event that won’t even happen until two World Series from now, you’re not wrong. However, barring something unexpected, neither said is likely to cave on the issue, and that might lead to the mother of all work stoppages – one like the 2004-05 NHL lockout that caused an entire season to be canceled.
BetMissouri.com normally produces odds on whether an event happens, but this time we’re going a slightly different route. We’re introducing a Doomsday Clock to measure how close the sport is to catastrophe. The original Doomsday Clock was created nearly 80 years ago by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to show how close the world was to an apocalyptic event. The closer that clock gets to midnight symbolically indicates how close the world is to the brink of destruction.
Baseball is trivial in comparison, even for folks eager to place Missouri sports betting wagers on the National Pastime in 2026. But with a sport that generates billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs, a long-lasting work stoppage that cancels the 2027 MLB season could have severe ramifications on businesses that rely on the game. That includes sportsbooks and fantasy sports operators.
Baseball is not as popular as football or basketball for sports betting or fantasy players, but its six-month, 162-game season covers most of the downtime between NFL seasons. Not having games available for a significant amount of time would lead to a loss of revenue, much like like the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
At this time, we set the Baseball Doomsday Clock at 11:55. There is still plenty of time for the sides to reach an agreement, but the current posturing indicates neither side will blink before the current CBA expires.
As it is now, all we can do is just sit on the sidelines and watch the two sides play this game of chicken. Some might choose to walk away, just as some baseball fans did in 1994 and hockey fans did a decade later.
For those who are serious fantasy players and future MLB bettors at Missouri sports betting apps, the lack of games threatens people who use the games as a revenue stream. There are other alternatives, such as foreign baseball leagues (like Japan’s NPB or South Korea’s KBO). There’s also U.S. soccer, which also covers the same time window as MLB. However, experienced sports bettors and DFS players need time to acclimate to those leagues and sports.
With just five minutes until MLB’s doomsday, it’s time for fantasy players and sports bettors to start considering their options.
But for now, we still have baseball and St. Louis Cardinals odds as the team tried to hang on to playoff contention.
USA Today Network photo by Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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