MLB CBA Negotiations: League Proposes New Roster Rules, Free Agency Deadline

The league has put new roster rules and a free agency deadline on the table as part of ongoing CBA negotiations, per CBS Sports' Dayn Perry — with a potential work stoppage looming once the current agreement expires after 2026.

The proposals represent the kind of structural changes that tend to define — and complicate — labor talks in baseball. Roster construction rules carry broad operational implications for every club, and a hard deadline on free agency would reshape the offseason calendar that players and teams have operated under for decades. Neither proposal has been agreed to, and the broader shape of a new deal remains unresolved per the report.

What we don't know yet

Perry's report does not indicate how the players' association has responded to either proposal, where the two sides stand on economics, or whether a timeline for reaching a deal has been discussed. The specifics of the proposed roster rules and what exactly a free agency deadline would look like also remain undetailed in the material.

A work stoppage is described as looming, not inevitable — the distinction matters, and the gap between those two words is where negotiations live right now.