Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has opened the door to the possible introduction of a salary cap as a solution to narrowing the growing gap between big and small markets in his county.
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The major leagues are the only North American circuit not to have implemented this measure to ensure there is some parity between organizations. In fact, the National Hockey League, NFL, Major League Soccer, and NBA use this system.
“I don’t think anyone on the club side is convinced that a salary cap is necessarily the solution. We have avoided proposing a salary cap for a very long time,” Manfred said for the first time while appearing on The Show podcast on Tuesday.
“But there’s a hard truth to ignore: There are five major professional circuits in North America, and four of them have a system. One of them has a different system. I am in a way a supporter of the idea that the majority end up doing things well, the Commissioner then explained. When you’re on the sidelines, you have to ask yourself: Does anyone else have the right system?”
Currently, 14 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball spend more than $200 million on player salaries. There are also seven clubs that will spend less than $120 million on it in 2023.
To give a more concrete example of the disparity in player hiring spending, the New York Mets have a $375.3 million payroll, while the Oakland Athletics have a $77.1 million payroll.
In order to enforce a salary cap, Major League Baseball must reach an agreement with the Players’ Association, which won’t be easy. Last February union director Anthony Clark said his organization would never agree to such a system.
The major leagues and Players Association have a valid employment contract until the conclusion of the 2026 season and a salary cap could not be reached before the end of the season.