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I am all for a little more balance. The system today is dramatically out of balance. Some teams have a strategic advantage over others and not just in a slight way or even a significant way. Some have monumentally more assets than others. I’m not sure a cap solves that issue. A floor probably does help, but doesn’t address the disparity issue. There probably does need to be some better profit sharing, but also some structure around what owners need to spend to retain ownership. As with most problems, both parties are part of the problem. Hopefully they find a good solution for the fans, but that may be too much to expect.
The fan experience matters only so far as it affects the revenue, the size of the pie. “How can we maximize the take.” IMO, the owners market research will tell them that fans will pay exhorbitantly for the exixting product. So it doesn’t make any sense to shift any money from profit to improving the product.
The system is out of balance in regards to revenues per team but it is also out of balance in regards to brains per team. It just so happens that the Dodgers have both. Of course, as Rosenthal noted, the actual standings tell a different tale than the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth we hear.
When Pete Rozelle became NFL commissioner, he changed the league’s mindset from one of 14 organizations each looking out for themselves, to an NFL organization looking out for what’s best for the league. A weak link hurt everyone.
I think MLB needs to lean a little more that way – close some of the revenue disparities.
There will always be better run organizations, but some movement to where any team at least has a shot at acquiring a big name star if they choose would be a better system IMHO.
It’s a compromise, which means neither side gets everything they want, but you look at the big picture.
They sure don’t sound very close.
“The league’s proposal is to slash overall player compensation from where it stands now by hundreds of millions, lock it in, and guarantee it can never grow more than revenues again,” Meyer said. “If players had agreed to a deal like the one that has been proposed at any time in… https://t.co/QJbufdUOHm
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) July 29, 2026
Latest from an oddsmaker.
Will MLB/MLBPA enter a labor stoppage (lockout/strike) before or during 2027 season?
Yes -1000
No +550How many games will be played during 2027 MLB regular season?
Over/Under 99.5 gamesWill the 2027 MLB All-Star Game be canceled or postponed?
Yes -200
No +150Will the 2027 World Series be played?
Yes -2000
No +700Which core issue will be the final roadblock resolved in the 2027 CBA agreement?
Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) Thresholds/Rates +150
Revenue Sharing Percentages +200
Service Time Manipulation / Arbitration Eligibility +400
Salary Floor Implementation +500https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/mlb-specials/specials
What type of person is betting in general, let alone on baseball, and then specifically random stuff like this?
I’ve never understood betting as the system is designed for you to lose more than you win (otherwise the organizers would go broke). Seems like people like throwing their money away
I understand, ATM. I am not condoning placing bets and I don’t do it personally. I share betting lines for only one reason. To me, that the oddsmakers believe that there is roughly equal financial support of a view that MLB may play 99 or 100 games next season, for example, is interesting to me and more credible than if I said it off the cuff with nothing but opinion backing it up.
Just the other day a guy on the next bar stool was saying all the dumb money camouflages what the smart money is doing.
If there is too much money placed on one side, the oddsmaker shifts the line so the bets return to balance. As they say, “The house always wins.”
Or they trade off the heavy side to another handicapper. In any case, all oddsmakers worth their salt care not about the outcome of the contest and rake in the vigorish while they sleep. In addition, anyone who fails to pay up on “settle up day” will eventually receive an unpleasant visit from a guy called, “Tiny”…The unbridled ability to collect has always been paramount in the wagering business.
The MLBPA is absolutely NOT going to accept a salary cap in the new CBA, per @JeffPassan
(Via @allthesmokeprod) pic.twitter.com/N48fx833VE
— Punchoutpitch (@Punchoutpitch) August 9, 2026
The CBA drama last time generated some talk about the anti-trust exemption. Didn’t get any traction then.
I agree that there is almost zero chance of a salary cap being implemented which is why it is so frustrating to think that the game could be shut down over an issue that is not going to happen. Is this just tough negotiating by Manfred and the owners or do they just not know how to read the room? I would not assume it is the former.
I also believe this is why Ken Rosenthal keeps penning articles about the anti-Dodger hysteria. It isn’t that he loves the Dodgers or is a Dodger shill. It is that it really irritates him that the Manfred and owners are using the Dodgers as an excuse to get what they want, which is to suppress expenses to build up team values. And they are willing to shut the game to do it, even though it would be a massive PR blow to the game.
What is really frustrating is that there are tools in place to deal with the revenue disparity issue without resorting to a hard cap. They just need to be implemented.
These issues could be solved with the help of professional arbitration, but with so much money at stake, the owners would never agree to giving up control.
I hesitate to bring up more Dodgers discussion but I re-read the Ken Rosenthal “anti-Dodger hysteria” piece because I remember its focus differently from you. While he did mention the broader labor issue, that was almost an aside. The vast majority of the content in his article defended the Dodgers and their actions.
His closing sentence was this:
“The Dodgers are good at this. Better than everyone else.”
This is why Rosenthal was ripped by fans of the other 29 teams. The Skubal trade brought it to a head.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7486126/2026/08/02/tarik-skubal-dodgers-trade-reaction-mlb-lockout/
I was referring to the paragraph below. I have also heard him say similar things on his online video shows. It is my opinion that he thinks Manfred and MLB are using one team to try to influence popular opinion in favor of an issue that they would like to implement.
The sport’s economic system needs addressing, no doubt. Not necessarily with a salary cap — a demand by the owners that threatens to wipe out part or all of the 2027 season — but with other ways that help benefit the small markets and allow the sport to continue its renaissance.
Signs of trouble in Dodgerland? Not for making $2B on a one-year investment. The other part.
Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought the Lakers a year ago for $10B and sells the team for $12B.
Walter is reportedly under federal investigation for loan fraud, so this can’t be a good sign for how all of that is going. https://t.co/eJ6XvtGMbH
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) August 12, 2026
I’d be willing to not play in 2027. Then declare an impasse. Then the two sides can develop and settle on a new fiscal arrangement. I love the idea of a salary ceiling and a salary floor. Get the cost of going to a ballgame way down. Give every team a real chance to make big money. Spread the ticket sales income around more evenly to all players.
There’s got to be a way to end the fiscal insanity.
Mud, I can say with very high confidence that even if there was a salary floor, it won’t make games cheaper to attend. The owners and players aren’t willing to give up $ and instead are pushing for each side to have a larger slice of the pie.
I view it completely opposite mud. I am not necessarily opposed to a salary cap although I don’t think it will be the panacea everyone seems to think it will be. But I am 100% opposed to a work stoppage. It is unnecessary. MLB already has a soft cap in the CBT. It needs to be strenghthened instead of blowing everything up with dynamite.
There is history here. The trenches have been dug in the same places as before. Owners demand a cap. Players say never. How long will it take for either to budge?
As I speculated on the podcast, I wonder if this overriding issue will keep them from negotiating on the many other issues that must also be resolved. I’d feel a lot better if there was any positive news, even on relatively minor matters.
My suggestion is beyond unrealistic, if implemented, it would be catastrophically destructive. You cannot shut down a trillion dollar industry, and then turn it all back on again when ready.
But every possibility should at least be considered. The current system is, above all else, simply not fair to anyone including players, team ownership, and fans.
A floor would consist of designated revenue such as ticket sales, advertising revenue, or whatever, from each ball club. The revenue would be combined, then divided up and distributed to each of the 30 MLB teams. The floor would require that all of the money contributed above the floor be spent on players’ salaries.
A ceiling would determine how much each ball club would be allowed to spend. A ceiling would make it nearly impossible to overspend on a few players and still have a viable roster. The details would need to be negotiated.
There are many other possibilities, no doubt.
I doubt he walk away from the $$$, but it is interesting nonetheless.
Reminder that Shohei Ohtani can opt out of his Dodgers contract if Mark Walter sells the team… https://t.co/xBRvTpwizk pic.twitter.com/EZyydVE5yg
— Jacob (@AndThatsBB) August 13, 2026
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