MLB's New Salary Cap Proposal Could Make Looming Lockout Even More Complicated

Major League Baseball’s offseason is now underway, and we are less than a month from baseball’s doomsday. On December 1st, MLB’s CBA will expire, and a long winter, and possibly spring, of labor fighting will begin. Tuesday, the owners released a new proposal for a salary cap/floor system that sent baseball fans into a frenzy.

About the new proposal

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, MLB would delay the implementation of a salary cap until the 2028 season; this way, teams can operate as needed this offseason to get players signed and keep the market moving. The cap would be raised from the initial $245.3 million to $258.2 million, and the floor would rise from $171.2 million to $180.2 million per season.

The road to free agency would also be reduced from six years to five, and the league minimum salary would rise from $780 thousand to $1 million per season. The proposal also notes that it would limit the number of times a player could be optioned to the minor leagues per season from five times to four. This would also eliminate the qualifying offer, which means teams would not be in jeopardy of losing draft picks for signing players. The weekly roster idea was also revisited, with the statement noting that teams would not be able to outright a player during a week they are on the roster.

Benefits and Drawbacks

One of the biggest benefits would be pre-arbitration players being paid more. If there were a salary cap/floor system, it would help boost the payrolls of the 12 teams that need to get theirs above the proposed mark. Lowering the number of years until free agency would also benefit players, as it might allow them to earn more money on free-agent deals. Eliminating the qualifying offer would also guarantee that players reach the open market, which is also a good thing.

The drawback remains the constant push for a salary cap/floor system. The players have yet to show interest in signing on to a salary cap, and I doubt the marginal increases in the cap/floor numbers will change this. Continuing to propose this is increasingly making it likely there will be a longer lockout this offseason. The proposals need to be realistic, and given the players' refusal to accept a cap/floor system, this is not realistic. 

These proposals are just getting started, and this labor war could get ugly before realistic items are proposed and items are resolved.

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