Posts tagged salary cap
MLB owners propose first salary cap since 1994 strike
May 30, 2026 // Teams that would need to increase their payrolls based on current projections for this season are the A's, Rockies, Cardinals, Guardians, White Sox, Pirates, Twins, Brewers, Rays, Marlins, Nationals and Reds. Teams that would need to shed payroll to get under the cap are the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies, Red Sox, Braves and Padres. MLB remains the only major North American professional sports league without a cap-and-floor system. The last time baseball owners proposed a firm cap --1994 -- it prompted a 7½-month strike that forced the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. MLB eventually withdrew the cap proposal after pressure by the National Labor Relations Board.
MLB, players’ union meet to begin labor talks, sources say
May 14, 2026 // MLB intends to pursue a salary cap system, a financial structure that players staunchly oppose. The current deal, which came after a 99-day lockout by the league that threatened the beginning of the 2022 season, expires Dec. 1. If there is no agreement by the time the deal lapses, MLB is expected to again lock out the players, causing a work stoppage that could jeopardize games in the 2027 season. During the opening presentations, sources said, the sides outlined their views on the game, noting challenges they see and opportunities to use labor negotiations as a tool to move it forward.
MLB owners, MLBPA reportedly set to begin labor negotiations soon, with salary cap at center of talks
May 4, 2026 // The current CBA won’t expire until 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. While starting negotiations in May or June could result in a deal ahead of that date, it seems unlikely, per The Athletic. If a deal isn’t reached by that date and time, the owners will likely lock out the players. That’s what happened in 2021, the last time a new labor deal was needed in the sport. That lockout lasted until March 2022. While spring training games were affected, the league was able to play a normal, 162-game slate during the 2022 season.
WNBA, union sign new CBA that will run through the 2032 season
March 23, 2026 // After more than a year of negotiations, the two sides reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday morning. As part of that agreement, the WNBA’s salary cap will jump from $1.5 million to $7 million next season.
WNBA vet and union leader’s strike insight is a wake-up call for fans
March 4, 2026 // The league has proposed giving players who are on rookie contracts and who make First or Second Team-All WNBA will have the chance to earn the maximum salary during their fourth season. If approved as part of a new CBA, this would give Aliyah Boston the opportunity to sign a maximum contract this year, while Caitlin Clark could do so in 2027, and Paige Bueckers could follow suit in 2028 The proposed first year salary cap is $5.7 million, which is a big increase of 280% from the 2025 season and the January 2020 CBA. By the end of the deal, the team salary cap would be $8.6 million, and maximum salaries in the WNBA would increase by $1 million. The current maximum salary is $249,000, and that number would ultimately jump up to $1.3 million.
WNBA projecting big losses in latest proposal; union disagrees
January 5, 2026 // Multiple sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN on Wednesday that the WNBA is projecting that a recent proposal from the WNBPA -- which would give players about 30% of gross revenue and is believed to feature approximately a $10.5 million salary cap -- would result in $700 million in losses over the course of the agreement. Such losses would jeopardize the league's financial health, the sources said, and they would be more than the combined losses of the league and its teams in the WNBA's first 29 years of existence.
WNBA and players union agree to 30-day extension for CBA negotiations
November 4, 2025 // The new Nov. 30 deadline gives the sides more time to come up with a new deal that would be transformational for the players in terms of salary. In 2019, when the last CBA deal had expired, the sides agreed to a 60-day extension and eventually ratified the current CBA in January 2020. The sides have had meetings over the past few days, including in New York on Thursday. Had an extension not been reached by Friday, the sides would have had three options: let things continue as is, have the players go on strike or the owners lock them out. A strike or lockout didn't really make sense for either side to do.
Commentary: Labor Strife Looms Over MLB Opening Day
March 26, 2025 // But even if the big-payroll teams strike out and midmarkets dominate the playoffs, owners are still going to seek a salary cap. A ceiling on their payroll expenses would boost the value of their teams, probably even the ones in major markets. Clark said in 2023 the union is "never going to agree to a cap," and there's no reason to think he or the players have changed their minds.
MLB players union expects lockout by team owners after CBA expires following 2026 season
March 4, 2025 // The salary cap is again an issue during this bargaining cycle. Team budgets are a major point of the discussion with the Los Angeles Dodgers building a payroll of an estimated $379 million, while the New York Mets aren't far behind at $312.5 million, according to Spotrac. (MLB's lowest payrolls are the Miami Marlins at $31.35 million and the Athletics at $55.25 million.) Clark counters by saying that several teams are already using the luxury tax threshold — in which teams are taxed 20-50% on the amount over the threshold, depending on how many years a franchise has done so — as a de facto salary cap. (This week, he criticized the Los Angeles Angels for doing so.) This year's luxury tax, or competitive balance tax, is set at $241 million.
Unionized Grocery Workers Are a Sleeping Giant
February 5, 2025 // A coalition of UFCW Locals 7, 324, 770, and 3000 helped defeat the largest proposed grocery merger in US history between Kroger and Albertsons. Now these locals are collaborating on contract negotiations and sending support to the King Soopers strike in Colorado