MLB once again faces the risk of a shutdown, with Bryce Harper worried about the 2027 season being affected.

The existing MLB labor deal is set to expire at the end of 2026. While new talks have not officially started, the atmosphere between the league and the players' union is gradually becoming tense. Phillies superstar Bryce Harper said recently that he worries about a potential shutdown affecting the 2027 campaign and urges both parties to prevent past labor disputes from damaging the season again.

Harper stated that he does not want any games to be affected: "We come from different perspectives, but I hope we can find a way to solve problems together. The game is very popular right now, and we don't want that momentum to disappear, nor do we want the game to be shut down."

In recent years, Harper has been a prominent voice for the players' stance. Last year, during a meeting between MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Phillies players, a heated debate erupted over the salary cap issue. It was reported that Harper directly asked Manfred to leave the players' locker room, an incident that sparked widespread discussion.

The salary cap is also considered one of the most contentious issues in future labor negotiations. Some team owners believe a salary cap system, similar to those in the NBA and NFL, should be established to narrow the financial gap between teams. However, the players' union has long opposed this, arguing it would limit players' market value and salary growth potential.

In fact, MLB experienced a lockout in 2022 due to labor contract negotiations, which postponed spring training and affected the start of the season. With the current labor agreement set to expire on December 1, 2026, attention is now turning to whether the league could face another labor conflict.

Although there is still time before the agreement expires, when a representative superstar like Harper publicly discusses the possibility of a shutdown, it reflects players' concerns about the future of negotiations. For MLB, which is currently expanding globally and attracting increasing international attention, how to avoid another labor standoff will become an important challenge for the league going forward.