ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — We are going to hear quite a bit about competitive balance over the next few months. 

The conclusion of the World Series will end baseball for 2026 — and perhaps quite a while after that. The collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 1 and for a reporter on the pregame field at the Fall Classic, bumping into someone from MLB or the Players Association ready to rattle off their talking points — Rhetoric? Propaganda? — was as easy as finding a Brewer or Ray. 

What we know almost certainly is that MLB will lock out the players when the CBA expires in five weeks, which will finish all baseball business — such as free agency and trades — until a new one is signed. If history is an indicator, don’t wake me before March 1 — and perhaps that is even too optimistic for when substantive negotiations will begin. It probably will take the threat (or reality) of missing regular-season games before truly serious discussions are undertaken since the sides are so dug in and diametrically opposed on a salary cap. 

This fight is about money, and also money, money and money. Somewhere in there is the concept of competitive balance and attempts to provide greater opportunities for every team to vie for a championship. When it comes to a level playing field, perhaps the sides can look to the AL East, where competitive balance has flourished despite varied payrolls. The group is so deep and annually competitive that Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander stated, “It’s arguably the most challenging division in professional sports.”