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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Major League Baseball owners are still hoping to impose a hard cap on player salaries in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
They're willing to wait a year.
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On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the league modified its standing economic proposal to the MLB Players' Association by postponing the implementation of a cap until the 2028 season while still putting into place the other elements of its labor offer for 2027.
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The labor agreement between MLB players and owners expires Dec. 1. The league has proposed a "cap and floor" system that would limit teams to spending a total of $258.2 million on the top end, and limit individual players to a salary of no more than 15% of a team’s total payroll. On the bottom end, teams would be required to spend at least $180.2 million.
In theory, compressing the maximum and minimum would increase the number of teams competing for free agents each offseason.
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In practice, the system would require several teams to increase their total outlay by more than $100 million just to reach the floor, while requiring others to shed more than $100 million to get under the cap.
MLB's latest proposal effectively acknowledges that one winter isn't enough time to achieve such a radical overhaul to the economic landscape of the game.
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The timing of MLB's new proposal makes sense, too. As of Monday, 183 major league free agents were unsigned. By removing the potential cap and floor from the immediate horizon, teams can spend in the final four weeks before the CBA expires without fear of what lies on the other side of the expected lockout.
The MLBPA is loathe to accept a salary cap in any new CBA. The coming labor fight could be a protracted one. The latest proposal from the league is a concession to team executives, rather than the players lingering in free agent limbo.
"We recognize that clubs will need a full offseason to prepare to operate within the cap and floor system," MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said. "Therefore, with this offseason already underway, we proposed today to begin the cap and floor system in 2028. This proposal would allow a smoother transition into the cap and floor system without delaying key player benefits, including earlier free agency, a $1 million minimum salary, a 30% increase to the pre-arbitration bonus pool, and transactional reform that will reduce roster churn.
"The projected salary cap and floor for 2028 continues to provide more money for major league players while leveling the playing field and giving more teams the ability to participate in the free agent market and retain their homegrown stars so that every fan believes their team has a fair chance to win it all."
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