Baseball-End of World Series sends MLB into high-stakes offseason as lockout looms

By Frank Pingue Oct 29 (Reuters) The crowning of the Milwaukee Brewers as World Series champions kicked off an offseason of great uncertainty for Major League Baseball on Thursday, with owners widely expected to lock out players if they cannot reach a new labour deal before ​the current agreement expires on December 1. At the heart of the negotiations is the issue of ‌a salary cap that would limit how much MLB s 30 teams can spend on player wages, a system the league feels would address the payroll disparity between big-market and small-market teams. The MLB Players Association considers the implementation of a salary cap as a non-starter. I guess the best I can say is I hope I m managing next year, Tampa Bay ‌Rays ​manager Kevin Cash, speaking to reporters after his team s World Series ⁠loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, said ⁠when asked about the uncertainty facing America s pastime. MLB has not missed games due to a work stoppage since the players strike of 1994-95. That dispute f