Why did Major League Baseball owners lock out players and shut down the game? Here are some answers.

As expected, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced a lockout of major league baseball players late Wednesday night when the game's collective bargaining agreement expired at 10:59 p.m. Central without a new deal in place.

After 26 years of labor peace in which both sides prospered financially like never before, major-league baseball owners and players are butting heads again to the point the game has been shut down. It's the first lockout since the spring of 1990 and the first work stoppage since the strike that canceled the 1994 World Series and lapsed into the 1995 season.

What exactly is a lockout? In essence, it’s the opposite of a strike, when the workers walk out over a dispute with management. This time, it’s the owners taking the impetus to shut down the game in hopes of coercing the players’ union into making concessions in negotiations for a new labor agreement.

The thought behind initiating a lockout now is that it provides time to work out a new deal before cutting into the 2022 season, which would create financial hits on both sides. It also prevents the pendulum from swinging to the players, who could go on strike during the season if they don’t like the state of ongoing negotiations.

RELATED: MLB lockout: No more negotiations scheduled before CBA expiration

It's the first work stoppage since Mark Attanasio became principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2005 season and comes after the team made the playoffs an unprecedented four years in a row.

What does all of this mean for Major League Baseball between now and next season? Here’s what you can expect.

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All player transactions will cease

The reason some of the game’s biggest free agents grabbed the big bucks in a recent flurry of activity not seen in years is they wanted their futures secured before a lockout could shut down the game. And the teams that coveted those players wanted likewise. During a lockout, there can be no personnel transactions – no free-agent signings, no trades, no additions or subtractions of any kind. So, all unsigned players will twist in the wind until a new agreement is in place, whenever that might be.

The Brewers managed to pull of a stunning trade less than an hour before the lockout was declared, sending outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and two minor-league prospects to Boston for rightfielder Hunter Renfroe. So, at least that outfield transformation was completed before player moves were frozen.

Was a lockout completely necessary?

No, not if the sides had any trust in each other to negotiate fairly. But that trust always has been fragile and appears to be at a new low after the contentious fight over money last year before MLB played a pandemic-shortened 60-game season. The players union filed a grievance seeking $500 million in damages, accusing owners of not bargaining in good faith, and they responded with a counter-grievance. Not a good backdrop for current talks.

“An offseason lockout that moves the process forward is different than a labor dispute that costs games,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the World Series, revealing the ownership game plan.

What is it the players want?

The union wants a considerable overhaul of the game’s economic system, which they believe no longer fairly compensates players with the analytical changes in how they are evaluated. Players are under team control for six years before free agency, but the riches they had come to expect at that point have dried up considerably in recent years as teams prefer to pay for what they might do in the future, not what they’ve already done. Players seek changes that would more fairly compensate players in the early years of their careers if teams are going to pull back on free-agent offers for all but the game’s very elite. If young players are valued more, the union says they should be paid more.

Manipulating service time

Players have watched management manipulate the major-league service time of young players, keeping them in the minors longer than they otherwise would do competitively to delay eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency. This not only hurts the players but also frustrates fans who’d like to see hot-shot prospects in action. One solution would be to allow players to enter arbitration a year earlier, but owners would rather scrap that entire process and find another way to compensate them.

What are owners willing to concede?

Not a lot. With the union never willing to yield on proposals for a salary cap that other pro sports have in place, management has tried to place other restraints on spending, such as luxury taxes and caps on draft bonuses and international signings. The union hasn’t been thrilled that owners have treated the luxury tax threshold as a de facto salary cap. Owners have suggested compensation changes for younger players tied to certain analytical evaluations, such as WAR (wins against replacement), but the union has not been keen on them.

Tanking also a concern

The union has never been willing to agree to salary floors for teams, mainly because they’ve rejected salary caps and want to be consistent in their bargaining. But they believe too many teams have “tanked” in recent years, under the guise of rebuilding, with no intent on putting together competitive payrolls. Players say that goes against the nature of the game and have suggested changes such as not rewarding teams with the worst records the highest draft picks, perhaps moving to an NBA-style lottery. The union also wants changes in the ways teams share revenue to prevent "tanking" teams from merely pocketing the money instead of spending it on players.

More teams wanted in the playoffs

During the strike-shortened 2020 season, the playoffs were expanded from 10 to 16 teams to try to recoup some financial losses as well as reward more clubs for making it through the litany of COVID protocols. Owners want expanded playoffs and their financial gains going forward, probably to 14 teams, but players are using that as leverage to get measures they want. They also want built-in rewards for the top records so that teams don’t use additional playoff berths as a reason to limit spending.

What is there to look forward to in the interim?

Not a lot. A lockout resulted in the cancellation of MLB’s annual winter meetings, which were scheduled to begin next week in Orlando. That’s where teams normally discuss trades and meet with agents. but what’s the point with all transactions frozen? That includes the Rule 5 draft of unprotected players, which usually takes place at the end of those meetings. As for the absolute avalanche of transactions that would take place between a late agreement and the start of spring training, keep some motion sickness medication handy.

Who loses in this lockout?

As usual, the fans. The Hot Stove League will become the Freezer League, with no trades or signings to get you more excited about your club. As for those thinking of making plans to attend spring training games, are you really going to make financial commitments when they might be canceled or delayed? MLB has shot itself in its collective feet many times over the years and still survived, so they will expect fans to be forgiving after resorting to this madness once again.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: With MLB labor negotiations making little progress, lockout is declared