With the postseason under way, baseball's next big fight is already taking shape. The labor deal between team owners and players expires Dec. 1, and a lockout could follow, KMBC and the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman, who sits on MLB's labor committee, said Monday that the two sides are bargaining every week. "I don't want to predict," he said, "I would tell you that I think everybody's working hard to make sure that doesn't happen." He added, "We want to get this done without missing any games, just to be clear."

The main issue is a salary cap. MLB has proposed a cap of about $245.3 million and a floor of about $171.2 million per team for 2027, CBS Sports reported, and owners say the plan would help small-market teams compete. "We're the only major sports league in North America that doesn't have an economic system like that," Sherman said.

The players' union has fought a cap for decades, and its leader has called the plan "a form of institutionalized collusion," CBS Sports said. Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón put it more bluntly to AP last week, saying, "We won't play," the Chronicle reported.

History explains the tension. The last time owners proposed a cap, in 1994, the strike that followed wiped out the World Series. The most recent labor deal came after a 99-day lockout that delayed the start of the 2022 season, although the full schedule was still played.

A lockout would freeze offseason moves such as free-agent signings, and it could reach front offices as well. The New York Post reported that managers cannot talk to players during a lockout, which could complicate searches by teams like Philadelphia and Houston as they hire new managers.

Timing matters for the league, too, because CBS Sports said most national TV deals would be extended by a year if 60 or more games are lost.

What we know: The deal expires Dec. 1, and the two sides remain split on a cap.
What we don't: Whether a deal can be reached before spring training.