MLB commissioner Rob Manfred 'pushes for salary cap'... but players are left skeptical
'It's kind of continuation of a pattern which has gone on for decades, which is, the other side… tries to go directly to players, tries to create divisions between players,' Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) deputy director Bruce Meyer told Foul Territory.
'The league and some of the individual owners have made no secret that they would like to see a system that they tried to get for 50 years, which is a salary-cap system.'
The 1994-95 MLB strike that cost fans the 1994 World Series was fought over the same issue. Owners tried to play the 1995 season with replacement players, only to reach an agreement with the union on a new labor deal void of any salary cap. Since then, the two sides have worked out five collective bargaining agreements, most recently in 2022.
That deal is set to expire on December 1, 2026.
Currently MLB is the only major American sports league without some form of a salary cap. The NFL and NHL both have hard salary caps, while the NBA has a soft-salary cap that allows for a variety of exceptions.
Manfred has been speaking to individual teams for the third consecutive season in an effort to convince players to make major changes to the sport's economic landscape, according to The Athletic.
'The pitch is like, 'Hey, this is really good for the players,' Meyer said. 'One of the things players immediately seize on is, 'Well, if this is so good for us, then why are they pushing it so hard? Why do they want it so desperately? Why did the other leagues lock out players to get it?'
'Guys immediately understand that the reason they want that system is not because they want to pay players more.'
Manfred isn't publicly demanding a salary cap, but he hasn't exactly dismissed the idea either.
After the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani a backloaded $700 million deal en route to last year's World Series crown, Manfred acknowledged 'there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their teams' ability to compete.'
'This is an issue that we need to be vigilant on,' Manfred said. 'We need to pay attention to it, and we need to determine whether there are things that can be done to allay those kinds of concerns and make sure we have a competitive and healthy game going forward.'
This season the Dodgers have an MLB-high $408 million payroll, while the Miami Marlins rank last at $86 million. What's more, the league's 15 largest markets have won each of the last nine World Series titles, while a true 'small market' hasn't won the Commissioner's Trophy since the Kansas City Royals in 2015.
But that discrepancy notwithstanding, Meyer told Foul Territory that baseball's recent labor deals have allowed for competitive balance, even as some teams ostensibly refuse to spend.
'I think the whole premise is wrong,' Meyer said. 'Baseball hasn't had a repeat winner in 26 years. To fans in small markets, I would say, look, competition is crucial for us, crucial for players. Our market system that we have, it's not perfect by any means, but it relies on competition.
'To the extent we have teams that are unwilling to compete, it's not because the Dodgers went out and signed some players. That doesn't explain why the Pittsburgh Pirates, for example, don't go out and spend money.'
The players, meanwhile, still want the owners to accept a salary floor to encourage MLB's famous penny pinchers like the Pirates to spend on free agents.
Of course, owners would obviously oppose a floor without the addition of a cap as well.
Despite this, Meyer remains optimistic there won't be any games missed due to a work stoppage.
'I think we got reasonable people on both sides, hopefully,' Meyer said. 'I don't think it's in the economic interest of the owners, or the game, to shut down the game. They're making lots of money.'
MLB revenue hit a record $12.1 billion in 2024, which is up from $11.6 billion a year earlier.
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