Overview

• Manfred is actively pursuing a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, backed by owners citing the near $329 million Dodgers payroll versus the Marlins’ $67 million spend.
• MLBPA deputy director Bruce Meyer and executive director Tony Clark have vowed to reject any cap proposal, warning it would lead to more lockouts and jeopardize baseball’s uninterrupted play record.
• The current labor deal expires December 1, 2026, setting a firm deadline as both sides prepare for high-stakes negotiations.
• Owners argue a hard cap will ensure competitive balance across all 30 teams, while the union maintains that intentional underspending by small-market franchises is the true driver of disparities.
• Baseball remains the only major North American sport without a cap, and the 1994-95 strike over a brief cap implementation looms as a cautionary lesson for today’s talks.