All-Stars Reject MLB Salary Cap Ahead of CBA Expiry
SkimNews Take
Framing cap opposition as a non-starter at the sport's biggest media moment shifts the burden onto owners to propose alternatives that can survive public scrutiny before formal negotiations even heat up.
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- Paul Skenes, Juan Soto and Bryce Harper told reporters at the All-Star Game that players will never agree to a salary cap, though all said there is plenty of time to avoid a conflict that could shorten the 2027 season.
- Juan Soto's record $765 million, 15-year free-agent deal with the New York Mets would shrink to a $265 million, six-year contract under MLB's proposed cap — "Yeah, that sucks," he said.
- MLB has proposed a salary cap for the first time since the 1994-95 players' strike that caused the first World Series cancellation since 1904, with commissioner Rob Manfred arguing a cap is needed to lessen payroll disparity.
- The proposal would set a 2027 payroll ceiling at $245.3 million and a floor at $171.2 million; the Los Angeles Dodgers opened this season with a $415.2 million payroll, and MLB has not detailed how high-spending clubs would phase in.
- The current CBA expires Dec. 1, with MLB expected to immediately lock out players; the more consequential deadline is late February or early March, when MLB would decide whether to postpone Opening Day.
- Bryce Harper also vowed to fight MLB's proposal to bar players from signing until at least age 20, citing Jackson Holliday's potential path to the majors as an example, while the MLBPA has counter-proposed expanded free agency, expanded salary arbitration rights and nearly doubling the major league minimum.
Why it matters: MLB's cap would directly deflate the mega-deals driving the current free-agent market: Soto alone would lose roughly $500 million in guaranteed value, and the Dodgers' $415.2 million payroll sits nearly 70% above the proposed $245.3 million ceiling. With the CBA expiring Dec. 1 and an Opening Day decision deadline in late February or early March, the standoff puts the 2027 season at risk unless owners and the union find common ground before spring.
