Story byDAVID BRANDTThu, December 4, 2025 at 11:33 PM UTC·4 min readSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Roughly a month after the Los Angeles Dodgers finished a scintillating seven-game World Series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Major League Baseball Players' Association gathered in Arizona this week to discuss the future of the game and look ahead to a possible lockout next December. Japanese stars headed by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have sparked record international interest, in-game attendance was up in 2025 for the third straight season, and a set of rule changes that began in 2023 has produced a faster-paced game that's been widely lauded. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut the big-spending nature of the $500 million Dodgers — who were led by high-priced stars like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — highlighted baseball's payroll disparity as the MLBPA prepares for a potentially contentious round of labor negotiations leading to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement next Dec. 1. Union head Tony Clark said formal bargaining will likely begin in the spring, consistent with previous negotiations.“As an organization, you start preparing for the next round of bargaining as soon as the ink is dry on the previous one,” Clark said Thursday.