MLB Proposes Salary Cap Delayed to 2028 in Latest Offer as Lockout Looms

Major League Baseball has proposed delaying a salary cap by a year, telling the players' union on Tuesday that a cap would be implemented in 2028 rather than immediately, allowing teams to operate knowing what the proposed rules would be in the next collective bargaining agreement. The league's proposal sets a $258.2 million cap and a $180.2 million floor, with MLB projecting that 12 teams would need to increase payroll by a combined $636 million to reach the floor, while eight clubs would have to decrease payroll by $528 million to comply. The teams facing cuts were named as the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, Padres, Red Sox and Cubs. The proposal also includes raising the minimum salary to $1 million for players with at least two years of major-league service and $900,000 for those with less, a $30 million increase to the pre-arbitration bonus pool, and agreement to the union's proposal to lower free agency from six years to five for players aged 30 and older, while eliminating the qualifying offer system. The players' association has yet to issue a formal response, but reaction to any salary cap has remained vehemently opposed, and the current agreement expires on December 1, with a lockout widely predicted to extend beyond Opening Day next year.