MLB salary-cap dispute raises lockout risk as World Series begins
Owners are pushing for a cap before the current labor agreement expires December 1. Players oppose it, and a lockout could begin the next day.
Major League Baseball's push for a salary cap has raised the prospect of a lockout after the current labor agreement expires December 1, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays prepare to open the World Series on Friday, October 23. The Associated Press reported that a lockout could begin December 2 and could lead to canceled games in 2027, although neither outcome has been decided.
The dispute places the sport's next season in question even as its championship series brings together two teams with comparatively modest payrolls. Milwaukee ranked 19th and Tampa Bay 25th as of August 31, according to AP. It is the first World Series since 1991 featuring two clubs from the bottom half of the payroll rankings.
What MLB and players say about a salary cap
MLB says a cap would help teams compete more consistently. The players argue that the owners' method of calculating expenses would shift a greater share of baseball's revenue to management. The players' association has vowed not to accept a cap, AP reported.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio backed the proposed system, saying it would help Milwaukee and other lower-payroll clubs compete. He also said he believed fans wanted that change. Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill rejected the prospect: ‘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,’ he said, according to AP.
Under the owners' reported proposal, team spending in 2027 would be capped at $245.3 million using luxury-tax payroll figures, while an individual player could account for no more than 15% of a team's payroll. Free-agent contracts would be limited to $265 million over six seasons, far below Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets. Those figures describe a proposal, not an agreement.
The World Series opens before the December deadline
The Rays will start Nick Martinez against Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski in Friday's opener. CBS Sports reported that Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash chose Martinez in part to give Drew Rasmussen another day of rest after a heavy workload; Rasmussen is likely to start Game 2. The series also marks Milwaukee's first World Series appearance since its seven-game loss to St. Louis in 1982, ESPN reported.
The sides were still bargaining Thursday. AP reported that owners proposed allowing cameras on catchers for broadcasts during that session. With the five-year labor agreement due to expire December 1, the salary-cap disagreement remains the central threat to uninterrupted play after this World Series.
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Sources and context
- With lockout looming, the World Series could be Major League Baseball's last games for a whileAssociated Press, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Party like it's 1982? What baseball looked like during Brewers' last World SeriesESPN
- Nick Martinez gets World Series Game 1 start for Rays: Why Tampa Bay went with unexpected starterCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.