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COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 29: Hall of Famer Tom Glavine is introduced at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 29, 2018 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Braves are off to a hot start this season. They lead the National League East by 7 1/2 games and have the best record in Major League Baseball. If there was ever a time to push for another World Series title, this would be it.

However, if they don’t win it all this season, 2027 is not a guarantee. A lockout is expected by most throughout the industry, similar to what happened at the end of the 2021 season, but this time, it could be even worse.

Hall of Fame pitcher and Braves legend Tom Glavine spoke about the possibility of a lockout and fears about history repeating itself after the 1994 strike that got the postseason cancelled.

“I get the concerns over the disparity,” Glavine told Jeff Passan of ESPN, “but I don’t know that those concerns are any different, really, when you get down to the basics of what they were in ’94, because I feel like we argued about the same things.

“If you don’t know history, you’re doomed to repeat it,” he added. “It would probably do both sides some good to understand, or at least go back, and look at the effects of what happened last time when there was a strike and a prolonged stoppage.”

Braves Must Go All-In at Trade Deadline with Lockout Looming

If the Braves don’t go all-in at the trade deadline, they might not have an opportunity to win it again in 2027. If this lockout is anything similar to the ’94 strike, then the entire 2027 season could be wiped out, and that includes the postseason.

So, now is a good time for the Braves to lock in and really make a push towards the postseason for 2026. But Glavine’s comments also seem to suggest that there might be a risk of the 2026 postseason being wiped out. Commissioner Rob Manfred previously expressed concerns over history repeating itself.

If that happens, then that would be a major blow to the Braves and their fanbase, who have had a successful season to date. If that is wiped out, then the Braves will have missed an opportunity to win a title, and that’s even if they go all-in at the deadline.

In 2021, the lockout did not happen until after the season. MLB managed to play the postseason, and the Braves won their first title since 1995, the year the strike ended. So, chances are good that the 2026 season will be played to completion, but even that may not be a guarantee.

Braves Have History of Titles Around Work Stoppages

The 1994 postseason obviously did not happen, but when the strike ended in 1995, the Braves were the best team, winning their first title in Atlanta. They ended up winning again right before the most recent lockout, so it will be interesting to see if they win another title before the next one.

But that is all the more reason to push the chips for 2026, as 2027 is not guaranteed, especially if it’s going to mirror the 1994 strike.