Column: Baseball can't afford another extended labor dispute

FILE - Seattle Mariners gather as the MLB logo is shown during a review of an attempted catch by right fielder Mitch Haniger of a ball hit by Tampa Bay Rays' Ji-Man Choi that was originally called an out during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 18, 2021, in Seattle. The call was overturned. The Mariners won 5-1. The clock ticked down toward the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement at 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday night, Dec. 1, 2021, and what was likely to be a management lockout ending the sport’s labor peace at over 26 1/2 years. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

FILE - A rain-covered logo is seen at Fenway Park before Game 1 of a World Series baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Boston. The clock ticked down toward the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement at 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday night, Dec. 1, 2021, and what was likely to be a management lockout ending the sport’s labor peace at over 26 1/2 years. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - Then-Chicago Cubs' Javier Baez sports an MLB logo tattoo and logos on his hat and jersey as he waits to take batting practice before Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Washington. The clock ticked down toward the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement at 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday night, Dec. 1, 2021, and what was likely to be a management lockout ending the sport’s labor peace at over 26 1/2 years. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)