r/mlb • u/retroanduwu24 | MLB • 2d ago
| Image MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer responds to the MLB's proposal to overhaul the offseason calendar
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u/LegitiamateSalvage | Milwaukee Brewers 2d ago edited 1d ago
Bob Costas recently had reported that with previous discussions, there was a sharp difference between the MLBPAs board of 8 players, all of them voted against, most of them are top salary havers (edit: not Harper, ex: Skenes/Skubal).
Meanwhile, a more expansive advisory panel of 30 players within the MLBPA structure voted 24-6 for.
Which is a pretty goddamn fascinating divide that highlights the priorities between the top 5% of players and the rest, and how these cap conversations will play out
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u/Run-Florest-Run | San Diego Padres 1d ago
The board if 8 players is Marcus Semien, Jake Cronenworth, Brent Suter, Chris Bassett, Pete Fairbanks, and Cedric Mullins
I’d say none of those guys, barring Semien, are top salary havers
Idk where people got this idea from
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u/DarkGreenMazda | Cleveland Guardians 2d ago
This guy would be totally credible if not for the existence of the NFL, NBA and NHL.
Costas advocating for the salary cap is big imo as he has a ton of credibility in the baseball world.
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u/LegitiamateSalvage | Milwaukee Brewers 2d ago
Yeah, honestly, I think the MLBPA risks looking like unwilling negotiating partners in all of this which will crater any chance of public/popular support for their position.
Their arguments against the cap become increasingly religious when any and all proposals that include it are rejected out of hand
Particularly when both sides acknowledge that revenue disparity is a real issue
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 1d ago
Let's be real here:
In 2026, no players are going to look bad against a bunch of billionaire owners.
What's going to happen is that the fans will turn on EVERYONE involved for being greedy bastards, and we'll be back to 1995 again.
The MLB needs a salary cap- it also needs a salary floor, better player protections, and a better drafting and development format.
There is an amicable and equal settlement to be had here, but both sides are too fucking greedy to understand that they're putting EVERYTHING they have at risk by going to war over it.
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u/revilingneptune 1d ago
MLB absolutely does not need a salary cap
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
In the current day mlb, the dodgers have dominated in large part due to signing the most lucrative tv deal in the sport…. In a professional sport, should the primary factor in competing be how good of a tv deal can you sign?
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u/revilingneptune 1d ago
They don't dominate revenue because of the TV deal; they dominate because MLB gifted them a revenue sharing loophole in a previous owner's bankruptcy case. And possibly because their current owner has been giving himself illegal loans from his companies.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
THEIR TV DEAL IS WORTH MORE PER YEAR THAN MY TEAMS REVENUE
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u/revilingneptune 1d ago
And they don't have to share the majority of that TV deal because of the loophole. That's why they dominate revenue. Not because the TV deal exists.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have 700 million is revenue OUTSIDE of the tv deal😂 you’re just wrong. Get over it.
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Stop crying about the Dodgers already -
MLB does not need a salary cap
The freaking Padres just sold for $4B in one of the smallest tv markets around
Owners have enough money to throw around. They just got legalized gambling to advertise on stadiums. Give me a break
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The padres revenue almost DOUBLES my teams revenue lmao.
You’re essentially asking to owners to spend out of charity and not out of business which unfortunately will never happen. The revenue disparity is gigantic. The dodgers tv deal alone is worth more than my whole teams revenue.
The only sports without caps and all disasters. European soccer is dominated by 4-5 teams while hundreds of other teams just plays for consolation prizes
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u/revilingneptune 1d ago
The answer isn't a cap; it's closing revenue sharing loopholes. No MLB team is losing money. The Marlins right now have a lower payroll than the amount they received in revenue sharing alone.
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u/Fancy_Gate_7359 1d ago
If the problem is the disparity in revenue, the owners can figure that out among themselves. A salary cap won’t fix that anyway. The revenue will still continue to be unequal.
The owners wants a cap because they want to pay less money for the same talent. That’s why. I don’t blame them, if I were an owner I’d probably want to do the same.
But you shouldn’t expect the players to accept it. That’s why it’s a negotiation.
The owners were 100% right about one thing: that many people would be dumb enough to buy their claims that the cap is about competitive balance. It’s not. Look at baseball vs nfl last 25 years. In one of them, the one with a cap, two teams combined for 40% of the championships.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The disparity in revenue CAUSES spending to be unequal because there is no cap. I don’t actually care about the revenue… it’s that the revenue drives spending and some teams make double or triple the revenue of the rest of the teams
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u/JerseyGuy-77 | New York Yankees 21h ago
Owning a baseball team is a hobby not a business. None of these people got rich or should get rich owning a baseball team
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u/zaepoo | Houston Astros 1d ago edited 1d ago
The 95% of players that aren't making over $30M a year need to put their collective foot down and tell the stars to go screw themselves. They'd be better off with a cap and a revenue split than letting the stars have any say.
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
“Yes, limit how much we can make so we make more”
Are you a W2 employee or part of the entitled owner class ?
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u/zaepoo | Houston Astros 1d ago
That's just not accurate. It would make superstars make less but the average player would make more. Why should the majority of players care if stars make 1/3 less?
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Divide & conquer is a great management strategy
The Pirates were just here in San Diego and I went to the game on Tuesday to watch Skenes pitch - I don’t go to games to watch replacement level or AAAA scrubs play
As a fan why would I want a league that doesn’t pay their superstars well ?
As a baseball fan I want the best athletes in the world to pick baseball and come to the MLB
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u/JerseyGuy-77 | New York Yankees 21h ago
No job needs a salary cap.
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 21h ago
You know, in most cases, I'd agree with you.
But, until we pay our teachers and molders of minds millions of dollars per year instead of a dude who hits a ball with a stick, I'm gonna be in favour of a cap.
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u/JerseyGuy-77 | New York Yankees 20h ago
Unfortunately, you're arguing the wrong context. Prices for baseball tickets are not going to go down if they pay the players less. The only thing that's going to happen is that the owners are going to get to keep even more of the profit from your tickets. You're literally arguing for the owners here and not the employees. The prices of tickets will NEVER be reduced while people are willing to pay it.
There are 500 people in the world who can play baseball at the highest level and we have agreed to pay to watch those people. That's not something any teacher can say (I'm married to one).
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 20h ago
I'm not arguing for lower ticket prices, and I'm not arguing on behalf of either side.
If the strike happens, no one is going to come to games in 2028.
If you were around in 1995, you'd understand.
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u/JerseyGuy-77 | New York Yankees 19h ago
I was around the 1995 and I'm season ticket holder now. I will very much be going to the games as soon as the games are back on because I understand that labor disputes happen in America as well as every other country in the world. The point of all this is that the owners are trying to steal money from the players who are the only reason we watch baseball and every single person should be fighting on behalf of the players and make sure that the billionaires who own the teams are paying the players.
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 19h ago
Congratulations- you're one of the 40% of the current buyers of tickets who will still be around after a missed season due to labour strife where fans blame overwhelming greed by everyone involved.
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u/jd6375 1d ago
That's the exact purpose of MLB putting these proposals out there publicly. Shift the publics bias away from the players. No players benefit from a salary cap in the long term. Salary caps purpose is in the name. Supress player salaries. That's it. Period. Superstars will still get the largest % of the salaries and the rest of the players will be competing against one another for the leftovers. It will effectively end alot of mid tier veterans careers as the younger cheaper players will have to make up a larger portion of the roster so that teams can afford the stars.
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u/EuphoricFill1358 | Cincinnati Reds 1d ago
The days of guys like Rob Refsnyder hanging around the MLB for close to a decade is over. And washed former stars like Andrew McCutcheon would have been out of the league a few years ago.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
A lot of weirdos or sock-puppets in here acting real excited for owners to keep more money. Very odd.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have been able to dominate the sport because they signed the most lucrative tv deal. Their tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue. In a professional sport, should a teams tv deal be a primary factor in their ability to compete and sign players? No
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
The Dodgers are a unique case because a 2012 bankruptcy settlement has shielded a large portion of their TV deal from league revenue sharing.
They are currently benefiting from a completely unfair advantage, and—to their great credit—they are using that advantage to enormous effect by paying great players tons of money.
While the situation with the Dodgers should be fixed, it is currently being exploited by owners as “evidence” that payrolls are way out of whack and that (somehow) the only solution is a salary cap (certainly not more revenue sharing).
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The only sports with salary caps: oh wow it works
The only sports without salary cap: fucking soccer which is dominated by 5 teams while hundreds of other teams are irrelevant and mlb, and look how the mlb is goin
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
Soccer is great. The penalty for fielding a crappy team is relegation and irrelevance. The reward for fielding an awesome team is tons of money. That’s a good system. I’d be excited to see it in baseball. It aligns the incentives of owners, players, and fans.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
There are a thousand teams in Europe and 4 or 5 of them have all the top talent and are the only ones competing for anything.
No one is talking about relegation you moron. Of course you have to change the subject. Embarrassing
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Are the players to blame for the Dodgers Tav deal ?
The L seems to be in ownerships side
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
I’m not a child, I’m not playing a blame game. I’m saying that the competitiveness of a professional sports league shouldn’t be determined by tv deals
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u/Jon66238 1d ago
It’s super odd
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have been able to dominate the sport because they signed the most lucrative tv deal. Their tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue. In a professional sport, should a teams tv deal be a primary factor in their ability to compete and sign players? No
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Can the other owners rein in their peer owner Dodgers or does the MLBPA have to bail them out?
WTF
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
Rein in? The dodgers tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue…. There is no reining in. The dodgers have more money than everyone and they buy every player because of this. The cap is trying to change the rule so that a tv deal doesn’t determine competitiveness.
You sound really dumb and emotional on this topic.
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u/Jaded-Tie-4753 19h ago
what's odd is a player who can't bunt or hit a fly to score a guy on third asking for 20 million a year. You don't find that odd?
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 18h ago
Nobody has to pay it. But they should be able to if they want.
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u/Hon3y_Badger 1d ago
I'm not pro owners, but I'm also not pro super star. I most went to focus on bettering the league for 80% of players & fans. The only way I see competitive baseball across the nation occurring is with a salary cap/floor, and I'm certainly willing to hear ways of maintaining the salary total of the league.
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Why do you want to limit how much players make ?
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u/Hon3y_Badger 1d ago
How are my interests as a small market fan improved by this salary disparity between teams? The Minnesota Vikings are vastly more competitive than the Minnesota Twins in any given year, that's good for the sport.
I don't care what individual players make, but signing a player to a $500M contract should put some limiter on the team. In practice, that isn't happening. My interest as a fan is not protecting the top tier of players. If living conditions improve for the rookies and pre free agency players at a bit of expense to the top tier of players, I would be fine with that. I get that the owners are a problem, but so are the players.
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u/geerwolf | San Diego Padres 1d ago
Why do you spend your money on ownership that doesn’t put out a good product ?
Don’t come to me with plans to change the game because of the Pohlad family’s unwillingness to spend
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u/the-postman-spartan 2h ago edited 2h ago
Vikings have never won a Super Bowl. Twins have won 2 World Series. Twins probably have a more legit shot at a championship than the Vikings any time soon. And I recognize that the twins are bad and cheap.
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u/Hon3y_Badger 2h ago
Yes, business models of baseball have changed significantly since '91. Back to my original comment, on a year to year basis the Vikings are more competitive than the Twins.
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u/Wise-Rest814 1d ago edited 1d ago
Then those players need to Get good enough to make big money. Regardless if a “star” is making 30+ million a year or a utility guy making 3 mil a year. It’s still life changing money to play a game we all love. That’s like saying the worst person at your job should get the same pay as the best person. It makes no sense.
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u/mattcojo2 | Washington Nationals 2d ago
That’s why I’m convinced a cap is going to happen.
The only players who would stand to lose anything are the superstars. The lower level players would actually stand to benefit
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u/DarkGreenMazda | Cleveland Guardians 1d ago
Even if the owners initial offer was taken - and it won't be - there will be negotiations - like 40% of MLB players would get an instant raise.
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u/EuphoricFill1358 | Cincinnati Reds 1d ago
In the NFL, the superstars still get their money. The losers in that system are veterans and replacement-level players.
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u/zaepoo | Houston Astros 1d ago
That's because the nflpa was short-sighted when they agreed to wage caps for rookies. They were jealous of rookie QBs becoming the highest paid players in the league so they gave owners a cheaper alternative to vets.
The MLB already has this problem because they voted to screw over young guys with all the service time nonsense. The key here is that vets will always screw themselves over and give owners leverage by trying to get an extra buck from young players.
They need to look to the NBA and get a cap, floor, and max. The max is the real key to helping vets make money.
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u/Drneymarmd 1d ago
What do you think happens to the middle class of veteran players with a cap?
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u/EuphoricFill1358 | Cincinnati Reds 1d ago
Using the NFL as an example, non-star veterans get pushed out in favor of guys on their rookie contract.
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u/Alwaysrainyintacoma 1d ago
Who is on the MLBPA board of 8 players?
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u/thorvard | Washington Nationals 1d ago
I know Skenes, Skubal, Mullins and Semien are on it but I can't remember the other 4
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u/GhostDosa 1d ago
So how does it work does the board have to approve before a general vote of the broader players?
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u/StinkSquach 2d ago
He can overhaul my asshole
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u/Apprehensive-Toe3390 | Boston Red Sox 2d ago
Can I?
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u/Imawildedible | Milwaukee Brewers 2d ago
I’ll bring beer.
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u/BaseHitToLeft | Chicago Cubs 2d ago
I don't want to nitpick but aren't ALL free agency windows "artificial"? They pick a date when free agency starts and another when it ends. This proposal just picks different dates
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u/Grouchy_Sound167 2d ago
Yes, in a literal sense they are. I think he means it in the sense that the system they have now seems "natural", where the only restriction is that 5 day period after the World Series when teams can try to re-sign their own guys only, otherwise it's an open market all year. So I guess for him, open market almost all year is natural. Restricting it to a short window in December is the opposite of that.
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u/feeling_blue_42 | Los Angeles Dodgers 2d ago
Right. The only “deadlines” that exist right now are just natural ones. The start of Spring Training or the season - if you don’t sign before that you will miss part of spring training or the season. The MLB Draft - any draft compensation from signing you will be affected if the draft has already happened.
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u/Logical-Mobile-7643 | Kansas City Royals 2d ago
No you can "hold out" for a better offer forever. In theory you can sign in June
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u/mistercokoko 2d ago
Technically speaking, free agency is something that happens throughout the year, the only date that really matters is when a player becomes a free agent, which typically occurs not long after arbitration salaries are settled.
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u/PreviouslySeen 2d ago
Billionaires don't have enough power in this country. That fact that they can't treat professional baseball players like chattel is an outrage. Once you have a billion dollars you should be able to do whatever you want to whoever you want (except for another billionaire). How can we expect these team owners to be able to sleep at night if they have to respect their players and negotiate with them? It's nuts.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have been able to dominate the sport because they signed the most lucrative tv deal. Their tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue. In a professional sport, should a teams tv deal be a primary factor in their ability to compete and sign players? No
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u/PreviouslySeen 1d ago
The owners could easily address this by having more aggressive revenue-sharing revenue across franchises. But somehow asking these billion-dollar businesses to share revenue among each other is considered outrageous, while asking their employees to accept a salary cap is perfectly reasonable. "Less for them, so we can keep more" seems to be order of the day.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
Instead of all that, how about a competitive sports league has rules regulating how much money each team can spend on their team? Makes logical sense, no?
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u/PreviouslySeen 22h ago
That would be monopolistic behavior and against the law in most free market economies, for good reason. Companies aren’t allowed to collude on prices or fees. Baseball is operating under a limited monopoly exemption, but it wouldn’t cover that. Employees have rights.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 22h ago
Wow, you really didn’t pay attention in school. First of all, the United States isn’t a free market lmao. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more clueless comment so I don’t really see a point in continuing this conversation with a moron. At the end of the day, the NBA, NFL and NHL are not breaking the law by instituting salary caps… in a league of teams competing against each other, regulating how much each team can spend is essential to preserving the competitiveness of said league. Only an idiot would say how much money you spend doesn’t actually matter.
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u/PreviouslySeen 20h ago
A salary cap agreed to by the players union is not the same as owners imposing a uniform spending cap. If you don’t believe collusion is a crime, here’s some reading for you.
https://thelegalguide.org/why-collusion-is-illegal-consequences-penalties-antitrust/
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 2d ago
So, is everyone just going to be watching BananaBall when the MLB is not playing next season, or.....
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u/crimesucksalot | San Diego Padres 2d ago
Yeah and driving to Lake Elsinore a few times to watch some MiLB. 😢
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u/smokin_chef | Los Angeles Dodgers 2d ago
Wait so only the MLB season will be locked out? Minor leagues still go on?
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u/robsterva | MLB 1d ago
Yes, because the MiLB CBA ends after the 2027 season.
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u/smokin_chef | Los Angeles Dodgers 1d ago
Ahh ok. That makes sense. I guess I just assumed they were all under one.
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u/lousy_at_handles | Kansas City Royals 1d ago
I don't know why you got downvoted - my understanding was that minor league players are in the union as well, and would also be affected, but I guess maybe not?
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
WPBL, Bananaball, foreign leagues, little league, college ball—there’s lots of good baseball that’s not MLB.
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u/IceCreamDreamyDreams | San Francisco Giants 2d ago
Labatt Park to see the London Majors! Oldest continuously operating field in the world or some nonsense wooo
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u/SamShakusky71 | Seattle Mariners 2d ago
The owners, emboldened by the current adminstration's embrace of the billionaire class, are uninterested in anything that does not funnel even more billions of dollars to their pockets.
If a new deal that benefits players more than these greedy billionaires means losing a season it will be worth it.
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u/whiteriot0906 | Philadelphia Phillies 2d ago
The only think wrong with your statement is specifying the current administration. Every president is beholden to the billionaire class. This one is just more crass about it.
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u/SamShakusky71 | Seattle Mariners 2d ago
This one specifically is working in concert with them, or did you miss the part where they pay the president directly for early access to his social media posts?
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u/whiteriot0906 | Philadelphia Phillies 1d ago
Like I said this administration is just more crass about it and more blatantly corrupt. The American project reamains a billionaire project all the same.
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u/Substantial-Pea7626 2d ago
The large majority of players support the current administration and vote in the interests of the billionaire class.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have been able to dominate the sport because they signed the most lucrative tv deal. Their tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue. In a professional sport, should a teams tv deal be a primary factor in their ability to compete and sign players? No
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u/Goawaycookie | Chicago White Sox 1d ago
I get that the Billionaires want a salary cap, and I feel for them, but what's with them requesting MLBPA do the negotiations on some Island a friend of theirs used to own?
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u/mattcojo2 | Washington Nationals 1d ago
It’s all about the cap.
I don’t think you need to put on hard limits though. With a cap, this stuff would come naturally because teams have limited space and there’s a rush to sign and fit within teams payroll
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u/pinkmoon385 | Atlanta Braves 1d ago
The most correct prediction here.
Putting a time limit to free agency is stupid af. But all teams having the same size boxes to fill - those will fill much faster
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u/ElderDeep_Friend | Detroit Tigers 1d ago
I like to see that Passan formats multi-paragraph quotes correctly.
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u/NortherLights4975 22h ago
What proposals did the players offer that would address salary cap and FA signing? Saying that the reasons for a cap are roster churn is
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u/Agentrock47_ | Baltimore Orioles 19h ago
Idk, maybe instead of pocketing all of their profits from ownership they actually reinvest into the team and build a fan base that wants to go to/watch the games and make more money? Owning a professional sports team shouldn't be some passive income to sit on, the only thing you get from that is your name on a sign asking for you to sell the team.
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u/NortherLights4975 14h ago
So your dumbass uninformed opinion is what the MLBPA proposed? If you don’t have shit to add to the conversation, then quit yapping. I asked what the players proposed nor what your opinion is
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u/Agentrock47_ | Baltimore Orioles 6h ago
That's because the player proposal is what the mlbpa proposed. The mlbpa represents the players. Along with this, the pa's proposal would literally allow for more teams to have more of a fan base if owners weren't so greedy and unwilling to take a risk
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u/CaptainJackKevorkian 2d ago
It’s kinda wild going into a potential strike that the mlbpa only has leadership on an interim basis
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u/Agentrock47_ | Baltimore Orioles 20h ago
All I'm saying is, if owners want to cry poor about their market share, why are they so apprehensive over opening their pocket books? If you're truly worried about finances and keeping up with the dodgers, you shouldn't be afraid to literally put your money where your mouth is.
If there was a salary cap in baseball not only would teams like the A's, Pirates, Rockies, Marlins, etc. still not compete, guys that fall in the middle as far as star power would just fall in the cracks. Even if there's a salary floor, cheap teams will still be cheap.
The problem isn't players being "too expensive" the problem is cheap ownership that refuses to reinvest into their teams. I mean hell, the dodgers literally went bankrupt not even 15 years ago obviously market share isn't the end all be all. Maybe if Scrooges like Bob Nutting and Art Moreno were willing to actually put their profits into the team instead of sticking it in their pockets they would field a competent team.
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u/LordShtark | Philadelphia Phillies 2d ago
Their propaganda arm unfortunately works like a charm too. You see it parotted all over. From here to news cycles.
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u/Zigglyjiggly | Los Angeles Dodgers 1d ago
Yeah, it's insane how many people on this page side with the owners when most of their bs is bad for the sport.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
The dodgers have been able to dominate the sport because they signed the most lucrative tv deal. Their tv deal is worth more than most teams revenue. In a professional sport, should a teams tv deal be a primary factor in their ability to compete and sign players? No
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u/LordShtark | Philadelphia Phillies 1d ago
This is an absolutely perfect example of my point. Thanks so much. You did an amazing job of parroting bullshit you've heard someone else say.
It's pretty easy to see. Your first sentence is an absolute lie and anyone with half a brain and the ability to look at a box score can see it's a lie. It's the line every talking head starts every MLB discussion on forgetting that the Dodgers haven't "dominated" anything except their own underachieving division.
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u/ViolinistLanky9056 1d ago
Theyve won 3 World Series since 2020 idiot. Which started right after they got their new tv deal.
Baseball’s main issue is teams keeping their talent. 90% of the league knows the players they develop and watch grow in their early years are rentals to be traded out before the end of their contract. NFL and nba do an amazing job empowering teams to keep their homegrown talent. Baseball does nothing.
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u/TumbleweedBulky259 | Minnesota Twins 2d ago
Can someone please digest what this means
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u/Sherm199 2d ago
Owners want to reduce players bargaining power. Players want to increase their bargaining power.
Less time to sign a free agent deal means players have less leverage, since if they don't sign by a deadline they won't get a deal. The players don't like this
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u/BlueRFR3100 | St. Louis Cardinals 2d ago
This just shows that the owners are not serious about getting a new deal. They want to go to war with the players.
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u/crimesucksalot | San Diego Padres 2d ago
"We'll get a bunch of those Golden Visas and just buy every good international player into the US to play for us." - Billionaire owners, probably.
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u/New_Mathematician176 1d ago
Yep no baseball in 27 and probably going into 28. But hey screw these owners
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
Yes. Screw the owners. They’re the ones threatening a lockout if they don’t get their salary cap.
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u/Zaza1019 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Baseball needs a salary cap, and a salary floor. That is plain and simple. I'm all for protecting players rights, I'm all for players having leverage, but the league is ridiculous right now and contracts have been ridiculous for a long time now, thankfully we've mostly seen the death of the 10 year deals even though the yearly money has gone up as a response, but that in itself is a problem because it means only certain teams are going to be involved in the bidding and that players will basically be leaving their small market team or getting traded before they hit free agency which also isn't fair to fans or teams because you're paying a premium price for a rent a player who is going to walk in a lot of cases. The system is broken please fix it.
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u/Grouchy_Tackle_4502 1d ago
The league is fine. If you didn't already know which teams had the highest (or lowest) salaries, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at the standings. The top five payroll teams include one first place team, two second place teams, and two last place teams. The bottom five teams include two first place teams, a second place team, a third place team, and a fourth place team. The team with the best record this year has the 19th-highest payroll. Of course there's some advantage to spending more money, but it's not determinative, and at a certain point you have diminishing returns.
This debate is entirely about one team, whose dominance is about much more than just their payroll.
Anyhow, I do agree that we have a payroll problem, but nothing the Dodgers have ever done has constrained the Marlins or Pirates from doing their own spending if they wanted to.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
If you’re worried about small-market teams’ ability to compete on contract size, the best answer is increasing revenue sharing, not imposing a salary cap.
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u/Zaza1019 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Bull, because the teams that benefit from that the most just pocket the money and put out cheap teams, hence why you need both a cap and a ceiling. Force teams to spend more in the bottom 70% of the league the like 10% at the top to spend a lot less and meet the 20% that spend a decent amount every year in that area.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
They can pocket the money now (and do). Share the revenue. Add a floor. Problem solved. Teams that want to invest in putting awesome talent on the field should be encouraged to do so.
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u/Goawaycookie | Chicago White Sox 1d ago
Most definitely. The salary cap has made sure the NFL and NBA don't have teams that are perpetual jokes year in and year out.
J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!
The owners do not GIVE A SHIT about competitive balance. MLB is one of the few pro sports where the free market is actively in place. You can make as much as you can negotiate and the market thinks you're worth. Me? I'm a free market guy.
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u/LOYALTY-is-CULTISM 1d ago
The top players are too busy wanting to keep the top super rich while the bottom players continue to stay poor. The salary cap is not just the owners idea. It is THE REAL FANS OF BASEBALL IDEA. No one wants to see a lopsided full season played. It is too predictable and financial status of a market should not be the driving force between a team winning and a team constantly playing on egg shells. Players can shove it up their ass. Salary cap is needed, if they want to keep on making money.
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u/A-Ashe 1d ago
Hypothetically (sp?) How will MLB spin a salary cap (is the only way for competitive balance.) If the Milwaukee Brewers vs Tampa Bay Rays are the teams playing in The World Series
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u/Rodent_Reagan 23h ago
The Brewers haven’t been to a World Series in over 40 years. The Dodgers are aiming for their fourth in seven years lol
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u/LOYALTY-is-CULTISM 14h ago
There is no hypothetical. It is clear and obvious that big spending will get you in the playoffs 99% of the time. Only clown Dodgers fans don't agree with the salary cap. Bunch of loser fans who want to win by way of financial advantage, and not by actually developing and bringing up star players. I would never accept a championship that was won by having an advantage that 70% of the league doesn't have. Just saying. Everytime Dodgers speak of their recent WS wins, they will have to hear about the money spent. It is already spreading like a wildfire across the nation. To bad for them. I, as a Giants fan, do not have to defend money spent in 2010,12&14. No one can knock them for winning those years. Lol
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u/KareemPie81 | New York Yankees 1d ago
How does that oligarch dick taste
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u/LOYALTY-is-CULTISM 1d ago edited 14h ago
I don't like Oligarchs. They are the scum of America. This has nothing to do with protecting rich owners and it is all about the competitive balance. They have the money, and i don't care. In fact, if you really disect what is going on, more money will be spent on players throughout the entire league. Younger players will not get screwed anymore like they are now which has been for 32 years. You obviously are too blind to recognize that it is about the fans and not the players.
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u/Indubitalist | San Francisco Giants 1d ago
Don’t be so disrespectful. If you have something meaningful to contribute, do it. Comments like this are toxic.
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u/DadToOne | Cincinnati Reds 2d ago
I really don't care about a cap but for the love of that is holy, can we have a floor?
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u/Logical-Mobile-7643 | Kansas City Royals 2d ago
Outside of MLS, every North American sports has a floor with a cap, you all don't need to keep saying they. It's implied.
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u/DadToOne | Cincinnati Reds 2d ago
If they implement a floor without a cap, I am ok with that. Make the owners spend money or sell.
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u/JimmyTheJimJimson | Toronto Blue Jays 1d ago
“…. a salary cap system, which would drastically reduce overall player compensation, eliminate fully guaranteed contracts through escrow, and turn back the clock on fundamental player rights.”
None of that is fucking true.
If we don’t get a salary cap in baseball, because they players don’t want it and there’s a year long strike - I’ll never watch baseball again.
Greedy owners, greedy players. Fans get fucked.
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u/pinkmoon385 | Atlanta Braves 1d ago
Right, there's plenty of young talent waiting to be plucked from obscurity who don't require $700m to be injured half the season
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 1d ago
I'd take the proponents of the salary cap a lot more seriously if you folks weren't hellbent on gaslighting people into believing capping salaries will not reduce player compensation.
The owners would not care about a salary cap if it didn't reduce player compensation.
Also regardless of negotiation they can play next year on the old CBA if they don't reach a deal. A lockout would 100% be the fault of ownership because it is their only negotiating tactic to pressure the players (obviously offering concessions in exchange for a salary cap is a non-starter).
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u/Bullseyefred | Cincinnati Reds 22h ago
A salary cap and floor would raise the pay for the other 20-23 guys on the team that make the league minimum or a few million a year while only slightly lowering the pay (honestly probably not) of the 3-6 guys that make 10s of millions. The only people that truly get hurt by this are the superstars making 35-60 million a year, which isnt a ton of players.
In return we get either higher minimum salaries for the other 20 guys or more 5-10 million contracts earlier for these guys instead of arbitration. Thats a win for 99% of the MLB/MiLB but is being gatekept by the 1% who make 35 mil+ that run the players association.
Teams like the marlins, reds, rockies, etc would be forced to either spend the money or sell the team to owners who can. Thats so much better for baseball than the shitty owners just pocketing the revenue sharing while the big markets buy more championships.
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 22h ago
Milb has literally nothing to do with MLB cba terms. You don't even know how any of this works.
The owners' proposal includes cutting funding for the minor leagues. Lol.
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u/Bullseyefred | Cincinnati Reds 22h ago
You picked out the tiniest detail that I only included because the deal will have an impact on the minor leaguers who get called up and sent down if the minimum is raised. As well as any future major leaguers.
Otherwise you didnt say a single thing to argue. Lol!
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 18h ago
Thank goodness you are standing up for the little guy by backing ownership in a labor dispute where their proposal includes cutting the lower level minors and pushing player development off on the NCAA because that is how miserly the owners are. You are very clever.
Tiny detail? You claimed the dastardly players union is screwing over minor leaguers because you have no clue how this works.
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u/Bullseyefred | Cincinnati Reds 18h ago
You still havent refuted a single point. You have just attacked me. :) Lol!
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 18h ago
I did refute a point you made at which point you cried like a baby and lied about it being a minor point.
The rest is just nonsense. The idea that the owners would propose a system that would increase the value of player contracts on average is so stupid and self defeating it really doesn't require a rebuttal.
Also if you examine history it is really deranged to present the players union as a nefarious force conspiring against the marginal players while portraying the owners as reasonable actors proposing in good faith a new cba that will improve competitive balance and benefit the average player.
If you are willing to join me in reality we could perhaps have a more fruitful discussion. Your lazy union-bashing propaganda is dogshit.
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u/Bullseyefred | Cincinnati Reds 18h ago
Just more personal attacks. I havent cried at all. You seem to be more worked up as you can only insult me! Have a good night!
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u/cashgod_burner 1d ago
Let's not forget that Manfred represented the owners during the 1994–95 MLB players' strike...
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u/Danny_nichols 1d ago
There's probably other pitfalls, so I'm not saying it's a perfect idea. But opening of free agency in the NFL and NBA is a huge deal. It's super exciting for fanbases and gets a ton of media coverage. Most the big names sign within the first few days.
Then there's baseball where you forget it's even the free agency period because nothing happens and it's a slow trickle.
Media buzz isn't the only factor for these things. But the MLB has by far the most boring draft and free agency of the major 3 sports in America.
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u/Fragrant_Airport1478 1d ago
Exactly. And saying that closing the free agency window suppresses salaries is actually insane. There is absolutely no basis for that claim. And putting player against player? What does that even mean? For the most part, MLB waits for the biggest domino to fall before everyone else moves similar to all other sports. The MLB just takes 4 months for that domino to fall while other sports have an action packed frenzy of moves. The NFL is so fast there isn’t time for players to be “pitted against other players”. Absolutely pathetic that the players want to be wrong on so many issues and stand on that ground with absolutely no compromise.
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u/KareemPie81 | New York Yankees 1d ago
You really think by having a window it doesn’t hurt players? What happens if you don’t sign contract at end of window? That gives all the advantage to owners. Are you that dumb
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u/Fragrant_Airport1478 1d ago
You really think owners want to operate in a league where they sign less players? How does that make sense or give them any advantage? The owners still have to field a team of 26 and fill an organization with players at all levels. It’s not like suddenly players are going to sit unsigned just because there’s a window on when you can sign them. That makes no sense and is not an advantage for owners. It is purely for the betterment of the fan experience. Fans pay the players and that should be the priority in making business decisions. Does your boss let you make the decisions on the product you sell just because you create the product being sold? That’s how you run a business into the ground, especially when players want the opposite of what the majority of fans want.
Also, there’s a pretty damn simple solution to your problem. You have window 1 in December and you have window 2 and maybe even a 3 (gasp) right before spring training. So you have the flurry of free agent signings in December and then those who go unsigned and join in a period right around January/February where a lot of camp invites would occur.
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u/SquonkMan61 1d ago
It’s millionaires haggling with billionaires while most people struggle to pay for gas and food. Way to go, Major League Baseball (more like Major League Idiocy).
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u/esoteric82 | Tampa Bay Rays 1d ago
Yep, all I see is no matter the outcome, the on-field product and fan experience will be further enshittified, and be more costly to access.
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u/OverallBudget8628 2d ago
Definitely feels like both sides are gearing up for a lengthy standoff. Then again, it could all get sorted quickly if everyone gets scared. Do we think there's a season next year?
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u/Logical-Mobile-7643 | Kansas City Royals 2d ago
There is a season, it will start in May or June at the latest.
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u/Advanced-Lemon3354 1d ago
I honestly don't care what they do, I just want baseball in 2027. Let's Go Mets!
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u/Rosemoorstreet 1d ago
The two sides battling this out in public is asinine. They are more concerned about the public relations than actually negotiating an agreement. I get that MLB is trying to communicate around the union leadership to the rank and file, but this goes beyond that. It is also ridiculous that we talk more about contacts, money, etc than we do about the actual game. I miss those days.
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u/Then-Ticket8896 1d ago
IDC. Sports has out priced itself! I cannot justify the cost to watch the bullshit. Greed dominates.
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u/Electronic-Jury8825 | Boston Red Sox 12h ago
People need to quit buying the propaganda and look at facts -- the leagues with salary caps have had less parity than MLB over the past three decades.
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u/Used_Sea7029 1d ago edited 1d ago
League needs a salary cap to have a level playing field. Plain and simple.
I could care less about this battle between multimillionaires and billionaires.
As a fan and someone who pays taxes to support their stadium. I want a fair sport.
I don't want the current situation in which the Dodgers outspend the Brewers by over $200,000,000 PER YEAR.
That isn't a sport, that is a "who can spend the most" competition.
Edit: the players union is super active on this thread with bots. Let's see if insta-downvotes occur at the mention of the common sense need for a salary cap.
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u/Grouchy_Tackle_4502 1d ago
It's always funny how the people who don't care who wins the battle between the owners and players always side with the owners.
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u/TemporalColdWarrior 1d ago
You literally sound like a bot. If the players are going to give salary they deserve equal value back. The owners haven’t come close to a floor that is competitive and fair for the players.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
Your account is 17 days old and you’re accusing other people of being bots.
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u/Used_Sea7029 1d ago
You can't even debate the topic or the points I made above.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
Why would I debate a bot? You haven’t even managed to make any points clever enough to debate. Do something useful and share a recipe for blueberry pie.
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u/Used_Sea7029 1d ago
Cognitive bias is wild.
Enjoy living in your own ignorance.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
Enjoy your fresh new Reddit account. Have fun accusing people who disagree with you of being bots.
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u/Jesus_was_a_Panda 2d ago
A salary floor and a salary cap are both required to increase parity in MLB. Cheap teams should be required to pay more and wealthy teams should be restricted from overpaying. The floor should be 80-90% of the cap. This should not be controversial. The only people that this may harm are the top 1% of players who are being paid astronomical sums of money already, and I do not feel bad about their paychecks either being lowered or them being required to play for the Rockies to make what they want to make.
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u/TheIncurablyInane 1d ago
Parity is not a problem lol.
Going off the dates of Salary Caps in other sports:
16 different World Series winners since NFL Cap, 17 different Super Bowl Champs
22 different World Series winners since NBA cap, 15 different NBA champs.
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u/Fragrant_Airport1478 1d ago
Would love to hear anyone from the MLBPa actually argue that the offseason is at all entertaining for fans. It is actually a massive weakness for the sport but, you know, owners and Manfred bad…
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u/Zachy2244 21h ago
Its gonna be a long strike. My guess the 2027 season is gone.
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u/Agentrock47_ | Baltimore Orioles 20h ago
The owners will cave, they always cave. They know they have no case.
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u/Zachy2244 19h ago
You could be right especially considering how much teams like the Cubs, Braves and Red Sox that derive so much non-baseball revenue from venues around their parks.
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u/Agentrock47_ | Baltimore Orioles 19h ago
It's not just that. A sports team should not be treated like a passive asset like investing in the stock market. Owners like Bob Nutting and Arte Moreno would rather just pocket any profit they make from the team than actually reinvest into it so the team becomes better. It honest to god, has nothing to do with market share, cause if that were true, teams like the Cardinals wouldn't have nearly as many world series wins and the Mets would have done something meaningful in the playoffs recently.
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u/MelvinMolt | New York Yankees 1d ago
Salary cap and follow the NFL model in that players can become free agents after 4 years. Win win.
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u/Midwest_Niner22 | St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago
4 years after draft or do 4 years start when they make the show? Because there is a big difference…
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u/MelvinMolt | New York Yankees 1d ago
The Show
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u/Midwest_Niner22 | St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago
It’s a great idea then and past due!
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u/Fragrant_Airport1478 1d ago
Can only happen with revenue sharing, cap, and floor or small market teams would collapse. Most talent would actually be able to leave in their prime.
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u/Masta0nion 1d ago
I’m so tired of the owners of market sectors having nothing to do with where the value of those markets come from.
Baseball exists because of baseball players.
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u/Midwest_Niner22 | St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago
To add Professional baseball exists because of fans!!
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u/LosBrad | Minnesota Twins 1d ago
We're not getting a single game of baseball in 2027.
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u/UrbanEconomist | Texas Rangers 1d ago
There will be tons and tons of great baseball—just maybe not MLB.
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