With the World Baseball Classic consuming most of baseball's attention right now, I felt I should remind people that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement officially ends on December 19^th of this year. That means if no new agreement is reached by that point in time there likely will be a work stoppage of some kind.

Major League Baseball remains the only major sport (NFL, NBA, NHL) that does not institute some kind of salary cap. There is the Competitive Balance Tax, as negotiated in the current CBA that is used as a form of revenue sharing, but that's pretty much it. You can get into discussions as to why baseball does not have a salary cap, but I think it's pretty simple to me. Why would the players want to negotiate such a salary restriction, and what would the owners have to offer in return in such a negotiation? The players have already agreed to the commissioner's stricter performing enhancement drug policy with nothing in return to show for it (other than their integrity). I'm not saying they're wrong for doing so, as this is America, a capitalist country in which everyone is free, if not encouraged, to make as much as they possibly can as long as such efforts are made within the laws as set forth by the Constitution (meaning the moral aspect of such efforts is always up for debate).

Most people seem to agree that the NFL has the best salary system in place, no matter how confusing it is. However, all teams in the NFL have more money to play with since they all get a piece of the pie. Meaning, NFL teams do no have their own television networks, they are all under the same umbrella as negotiated by the individual, national television networks. The Pittsburgh Steelers get as much as the New York Giants, despite being in a drastically smaller market, which is evidenced in Major League Baseball by the difference of payrolls between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees.

If the owners do want to set a more strict salary cap in place, the only way they are going to be able to accomplish this is by locking the player's out. As we saw with the NHL, if that happens, expect a lengthy work stoppage that likely would cancel the entire 2007 season.

Remember when the Twins, Expos, Marlins, Devil Rays and Athletics were all considered for contraction? The Twins and the Expos were the biggest targets, and as we all know the formerly doomed Montreal Expos franchise has since moved to Washington D.C. and seems to have found a home there. The current CBA prevented Major League Baseball from contradicting any teams until the 2007 season, which now isn't that far away. According to the agreement, Major League Baseball cannot vote on contraction for the 2007 season until after April 1, 2006, and there decision must be notified to the Player's Association no later than July 1, 2006.

While the Expos have saved themselves by becoming the Nationals, what about the other teams? Despite having another World Series Championship under their belt, the Marlins conducted their second major fire sale this offseason and have failed to get a new public-funded stadium built. The Twins have also had their own problems getting a public-funded stadium built, although the team itself has remained competitive despite their meager payroll. The Devil Rays are still building with youth and once again hold their annual placement within the top three overall picks of the June Amateur Free Agent Draft. I never felt the A's were in serious threat of contraction, and rumors of them moving to San Jose haven't been heard of since.

Was contraction ever a serious issue, or did Commissioner Bud Selig make it a big enough issue to get some sort of revenue sharing in place? We haven't heard a peep of contraction since, although that revenue sharing may have something to do with it. If we don't hear about contraction between now and July, if not sooner, I'm guessing all is well in the eyes of the owners.

One thing we won't be seeing is expansion.

Next up: The World-Wide Draft. That issue got swept under a rug quickly, as according to the agreement the idea of a World-Wide Draft was agreed upon, with the final details being at the mercy of a sub-committee as neither side wanted this issue to hold up the signing of the current CBA. Let's be honest, neither side takes the draft as seriously as scouting directors do. I've heard several General Managers admit that draft day is the biggest day of the year, yet neither the owners nor the player's association views it that way (and why would they?). According to the initial agreement (Attachment 24), the proposed draft "should be expanded to cover all players who are first entering Major League or Minor League baseball, regardless of a player's residence." This was supposed to cut down on the big international free agent spending of teams like the Yankees, Mets, Braves and Dodgers while giving all teams a fair shake at selecting the best and brightest unclaimed players from around the world, not just in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Other topics relating to the draft included reducing the number of rounds (according to the agreement to be no more than 38 rounds and no less than 20) and instituting a fixed signing deadline. The only thing Major League Baseball has changed in regards to the draft the past couple of years is eliminating the alternation of leagues in the draft order, meaning teams now draft in reverse order of the standings in all of Major League Baseball. With the increased interest in the draft over the years I am still amazed by Major League Baseball's continuous disinterest in doing anything to market it better, whether it be through a World-Wide Draft, televising the event, etc.

Prepare yourself this season to hear more and more about these topics, particularly a potential strike or lockout, as it cannot be pointed out enough that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is the only one in which a work stoppage was avoided. It would be a shame to see another work stoppage, either by a player's strike or an owner's lockout, as the interest in baseball is at an all-time high with attendance records being broken at the Major League, Minor League and even collegiate levels (there is even a new video game based on NCAA baseball, a pretty big deal for a rising sport). The World Baseball Classic could continue that surge in interest.

Of course there may be ulterior motives involved on either side, but given the record-breaking interest in baseball, the owners and the players would be wise to come to an agreement much sooner than December 19, 2006. While that may seem like a long time from now, it certainly doesn't seem as though the last one was negotiated three years ago.