Manfred renews MLB salary-cap push as union disputes case before World Series
The commissioner cited smaller-market teams’ economic disadvantage in Milwaukee. The players’ union says a cap would restrict salaries and freedom of movement as the labor agreement nears expiry.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred renewed his call for a salary cap in Milwaukee on Oct. 23, shortly before the Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays opened the World Series. Players’ union chief Bruce Meyer rejected the case for a cap, putting the dispute over baseball’s next labor agreement in focus as the current deal approaches its Dec. 1 expiry.
Why Manfred says MLB needs a salary cap
Manfred said smaller-market clubs have fewer financial resources than larger-market rivals. He pointed to the Brewers, saying their return to the World Series after roughly 40 years did not make that disadvantage acceptable. ‘Once every 40 years is not enough,’ he said, according to USA TODAY Sports.
The Brewers and Rays had won 201 games between them despite having two of MLB’s lower payrolls, USA TODAY Sports reported. Manfred acknowledged that spending differences do not dictate every result, but said larger-market teams have a statistically significant advantage in reaching the playoffs and advancing through them.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio backed a proposed cap as a way to help lower-payroll clubs compete, according to an Associated Press report carried by the Taipei Times. The AP said MLB’s proposal would set a $245.3 million team spending ceiling next year using luxury-tax payroll figures and limit an individual player to 15% of a team’s payroll. Those figures describe a proposal, not an agreed labor deal.
How the players’ union responded
Meyer disputed the owners’ competitive-balance argument. He said a cap would suppress salaries and restrict players’ freedom of movement and other protections, USA TODAY Sports reported. He cited Milwaukee’s eight playoff appearances in nine years in arguing that the Brewers’ fans already had reason for hope.
Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill also rejected a cap, telling the AP: ‘If they’re going to sit there and wave their little magic wand at us saying they’re going to get a salary cap, it’s not going to happen.’ His comments underline the gap between the positions ahead of negotiations over a replacement for the five-year agreement.
When the current MLB labor deal expires
The agreement expires Dec. 1, according to the AP. A lockout had not begun when the officials spoke: USA TODAY Sports described one as expected on Dec. 1, while the AP said it could start Dec. 2. Meyer said owners would be choosing to lock players out and criticized the prospect of removing players’ images from league websites during a stoppage, USA TODAY Sports reported.
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Sources and context
- MLB's doomsday clock running out as World Series brings imminent war into focusUSA TODAY Sports (reporting by Bob Nightengale; retrieved through Yahoo Sports)
- World Series might be the last of the MLB for whileAssociated Press, republished by Taipei Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.