Cleveland Indians: Another Lockout Could Damage 2017 Momentum

Major League Baseball is getting dangerously close to a potential lockout, which would be horrible for the Cleveland Indians after such a successful year.

The Cleveland Indians nearly won it all in 2016, making 2017 a year of redemption. At least that’s what it is supposed to be.

Major League Baseball is currently in talks with players regarding a new collective bargaining agreement, with the possibility of a lockout still being a potential reality, although Ken Rosenthal gave fans some hope Monday night that progress is being made.

The push for an international draft was clearly something that would be opposed by players, so it is good to see the owners realize this fact. The only problem is that there are other issues, and the deadline is looming.

It is easy to sit back and assume the league will get a deal done with the players to avoid a work stoppage, but these types of labor disputes are not as rare as they should be. Just look at the 1994 players strike as an example of what can happen when labor problems balloon into a full-blown disaster.

Indians fans surely remember that year, as the Indians had a great season cut short due to a work stoppage. The team was able to bounce back and reach the World Series in 1995, but 1994 may have been a championship season. We will never know.

2017 is another season that could be special in Cleveland, as this young team should only be more experienced after such a great 2016 season. With the current core of players in place, there is no reason why the Indians shouldn’t be competing for another championship.

No matter what the sticking points are, the MLB needs to figure this out. The 2016 World Series is one of the greatest in recent history, so excitement surrounding baseball will only increase in 2017. A stoppage of play for any period of time could permanently damage the league’s popularity moving forward. It would also damage the potential of one of the league’s best teams, the Cleveland Indians.

While the recent news seems to point toward a lockout not being a possibility, Olney’s report of teams potentially skipping out on the winter meetings is bad news. Spring training does not get underway until February, but fans of any major sports league know how long these labor disputes can take.

Next: Bauer Keeps Things in Perspective

A loss in the World Series was bad enough. A lost season would be even worse. Figure it out, MLB.