{
  "id": 195837,
  "title": "Bob Costas discusses state of baseball: ‘There’s gonna be a lockout in December, no question’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/bob-costas-discusses-state-of-baseball-theres-gonna-be-a-lockout-in",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-05T23:30:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bob-costas-discusses-state-baseball-233057869.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bob Costas, the legendary play-by-play broadcaster, recently discussed the state of baseball on The Rich Eisen Show, expressing his belief that a labor lockout in December is inevitable. The Dodgers, the MLB's second-most valuable franchise, recently acquired Tarik Skubal from the Yankees, bolstering their already impressive roster that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski, and Tyler Glasnow. The players' union and several owners have differing opinions on the matter, with the owners advocating for a salary cap while the players vehemently oppose it. Costas acknowledged the Dodgers' organizational edge and willingness to spend on talent, but also noted that the game still has a greater than 50% chance of winning the World Series. He emphasized that despite the potential for economic predictability, the under-resourced teams often struggle to maintain a cohesive team and that such imbalances disorient fan bases. Ultimately, Costas concluded that while baseball might not be \"broken,\" a lockout is likely in December, and the players' association is unwilling to cross a line by imposing a hard salary cap.",
  "summary": "The MLB trade deadline came and went on Monday, and while some Yankees fans were frustrated with their ballclub’s lack of aggression in adding talent ahead of a pennant race, you’d be hard-pressed to find fans of the Dodgers, the MLB’s second-most valuable franchise behind only the Yanks, in a similar boat. The Dodgers dealt…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}