MLB Commissioner Wants Salary Cap

With a labor deal set to expire in December 2026, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to convince players to agree to a salary cap, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic on Thursday. Bruce Meyer, second in command of the players’ union, said the players are skeptical that is in their best interests.

“The pitch is like, ‘Hey, this is really good for the players,” Meyer said on “Foul Territory.” “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?”

Major League Baseball is the only major North American sport without a cap. Owners have proposed one or something similar at least five times dating back to the 1970s and will likely do it again when talks occur this time, Meyer said, according to The Athletic.

Manfred has said the owners are still weighing the issue, but his public statements are in line with seeking a cap, The Athletic reported. The commissioner has said fans don’t like the large differences in payroll between the clubs. The Dodgers’ 2025 payroll is projected at a league-high $408 million, the Marlins are at a league-low $86 million, per Cot’s Contracts, according to The Athletic.

Meyer pointed out that MLB hasn’t had a repeat champion since the 2000 Yankees. “To fans in small markets, I would say, look, competition is crucial for us, crucial for players,” he said on “Foul Territory,” per The Athletic. “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.”

While MLB hasn’t had a repeat champ since the Yankees, no bottom-15 team by market size has won a World Series since the 2015 Royals, The Athletic reported.

Meyer said players want a salary floor, but owners won’t grant that without a cap. The union has been holding meetings with players.
No regular season games have been missed because of a work stoppage since the 1994-95 strike. Owners locked out the players after the 2021 season, delaying the start of spring training in 2022, but a deal was reached in March. Manfred has said lockouts are normal in pro sports, leading the union to believe one will happen after the 2026 season. Will games be missed?

“I think we got reasonable people on both sides, hopefully,” Meyer told “Foul Territory,” per The Athletic. “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.”

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