Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels: How A Lockout Would Help/Hurt The Halos

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

While the Los Angeles Angels are re-tooling for the 2017 season, the owners and the league are scrambling to save the CBA.

The Los Angeles Angels are heading into 2017 with high hopes of being a playoff team. However, Major League Baseball is in danger of having a lockout. The players union and the league owners must come to terms by the December 1st deadline or the MLB will come to a halt.

While there is a fair share of issues at hand that could prevent a lockout, implementing a salary cap and a luxury tax could cause the MLBPA to strike. There are some other issues at hand; however, the MLBPA is the best players association in all of sport’s, hence no salary cap.

So if a deal isn’t reached by the deadline, one of two things will happen. One, they’ll simply extend the current CBA to a date that both parties agree upon. Second, a lockout will ensue and all of Major League Baseball’s activities will stop. Meaning the Winter Meetings are likely to be postponed.

If a lockout were to happen in December, it doesn’t mean that it would extend to the spring. However, if it does extend that far, it marks the first time in over 20 that it has happened. The last major league lockout that affected games was the NBA in 2011. A season in which the NBA didn’t begin until Christmas Day.

While it’s unlikely that the MLB will dip into the 2017 season, it’s still a possibility. As a result, the Angels would have more time for injured players to heal without missing actual games. This probably wouldn’t affect the pitching staff players that are recovering from Tommy John. However, it would give Albert Pujols more time off the plate.

A lockout could also hurt the Angels. If the Winter Meetings are put on hold, then no trades are deals can be reached. All baseball activities would stop, thus putting the Angels in a tight situation. GM Billy Eppler has said he plans to offer multiple players up for trade during the Winter Meetings. He’ll have to rethink his plans if the lockout cancels the Winter Meetings.

Currently, there isn’t an official word of which way the MLBPA will lean on the big issues. Stay with Halo Hangout for the latest.