Major League Baseball, players finalize collective bargaining deal through '26

Major League Baseball and players' association finalized ir collective bargaining agreement through 2026 season on Tuesday, 14 months after reaching a memorandum of understanding for a deal that ended a 99-day lockout.

agreement, which expires at 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1, 2026, runs 426 ps, up from 359 in deal that ended on Dec. 1, 2021.

This year's agreement took nearly twice as long to draft and finalize as 2016-21 deal, which needed seven months, 29 days.

MLB and union failed to draft a final agreement after ir 1985 strike settlement, operating through 1989 on ir 1980 collective bargaining agreement as modified by ir 1981 strike settlement and 1985 memorandum of understanding.