This could be MLB's last postseason for a while with a lockout looming, players vowing to fight cap

NEW YORK (AP) — Days before the start of what could be Major League Baseball's last postseason for a while, Carlos Rodón was prepared for a long lockout if owners keep their salary cap proposal on the bargaining table. I'm going to be frank with you,” the New York Yankees pitcher said. There’s a lot of money on us playing baseball.

That’s why they pay us a lot.”Baseball's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1 and management is expected to impose a lockout that would stop trades and free-agent signings, then potentially threaten the start of spring training workouts on Feb. 9 and opening day on March 24.When management last proposed a cap, it sparked a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994 and '95 that led to the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.

MLB says a cap is needed to alleviate economic disparity, highlighting that no low-revenue team has won the title since the 2015 Kansas City Royals.“The salary cap and floor proposal levels the playing field, allowing us greater flexibility to address longstanding player priorities while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50/50,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said.Owners would also gain more financial certainty with a cap, which likely would spark an increase in franchise values.Players point out teams with low payrolls, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, had the best regular-season records in their leagues this season.“Despite MLB claiming they need a salary cap because small-market teams supposedly have no hope, we see Milwaukee with the best record in baseball for the second straight year and Tampa with the best record in the AL," union head Bruce Meyer said. “Milwaukee, of course, is 30th out of 30 in our market-size rankings.”While this would be MLB's 10th work stoppage, the sport hasn't lost any regular-season games since the 1994-95 strike. Baseball players say they will never accept a cap similar to those that have been in the NFL since 1994, the NBA since 1984-85 and the NHL since 2005-06.

Nine of the 10 biggest sports contracts by total value in North America belong to MLB players.“For me the biggest thing is doing right for the generations forward because the generations before me, for the decades before, they’ve fought for our rights today,” Baltimore first baseman Pete Alonso said. “That’s a sacrifice that not just myself but o…