Steinberg Warns MLB Lockout Could Cut Revenue 40% as Owners Push Salary Cap

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

December’s expiring labor deal has put MLB on a lockout track, with Leigh Steinberg calling the standoff the sport’s murkiest climate since the 1994 strike.
Owners are pressing for a salary cap, and Steinberg said backlash to the Dodgers’ big contracts for Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz helped harden that stance.
Tucker’s 4-year, $260 million deal has yielded a .221 average and .672 OPS, while Díaz has posted an 11.85 ERA in 16 games under his 3-year, $69 million contract.
Steinberg argued a shutdown would be self-destructive because baseball is resurging on strong TV, attendance, merchandising, fantasy and gambling revenue.
His warning drew on 1994: after that strike, gross receipts fell 40%, and MLB needed years to recover before the 2022 lockout ended after 99 days.