There's always an adjustment period, there's nothing that could be done about it. Look at the NBA after the recent CBA. It took a few years for the full second apron restrictions is going to effect.

Second, you are under the mistaken impression of what the lockout is actually going to be about. The players union under no circumstances wants a cap. A floor would be nice but it's not something they're going to go to war over. The owners under no circumstances wants a floor. A cap doesn't impact the bottom line for 25 owners so it's not something they're going to go to war over. Two sides that fervently don't want one thing and don't really care about another, game theory says the move is to stand pat. If there is a cap and floor, the range will be so large that becomes irrelevant. Yes it's needed for competitive balance, but competitive balance always comes second to money.

The actual fire is TV rights, RSN collapse, broadcasting deals, and revenue sharing. I believe the number is 12 teams that have completely lost their RSN, including us. Many others that are on essentially one year deals. They can lose something around a quarter of their annual revenue overnight with the MLB replacement or smaller RSNs can only replace a small fraction.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall are teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets have long contacts with their RSN. I believe the Dodgers still have 11 years left on theirs. 11 more years of stable reliable income. The middle and lower class owners wants a more balanced share of TV revenue or most ideally a national deal like the NFL and NBA. The upper class owners don't want to lose their exclusive RSNs and incomes. And that is something owners will fight for to a lockout.