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As MLB owners prepare for a possible lockout starting December 1 in pursuit of a hard salary cap to restrain big-market clubs such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees, a league insider has offered a five-point plan that could force wealthy teams to curtail spending without a cap. The proposal comes amid growing concerns over the financial disparity in the sport, highlighted by massive contracts like Shohei Ohtani's and Juan Soto's deals exceeding $700 million in recent years.
The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire, and many around the game fear a lockout that could jeopardize the 2027 season. Owners are pushing for a cap, while players are expected to resist fiercely. However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently presented five smart ideas that mirror the NBA's approach to competitive balance, where non-financial penalties affect roster construction for high-spending teams.
Key Analysis
Sherman's first proposal would prevent teams over a specific payroll threshold from trading for a player who is owed more money than they send back in return. For instance, the Dodgers could not have acquired Tarik Skubal by merely giving up prospects. The second idea would limit teams over the top threshold to a 38-man roster instead of 40, curbing the Dodgers' strategic use of moving pitchers between the majors and minors to effectively have more than 13 pitchers available.
Additionally, Sherman suggests that teams over the highest threshold could designate a player for assignment only once per season, whereas the Dodgers designated reliever Jonathan Hernández three times in 2026. If that idea is rejected, he proposes that teams over the highest and above the lowest threshold can option a player three times, while others in the middle retain the current five times. Finally, Sherman's plan includes a draft-related penalty and reward: teams over the top threshold and under the bottom threshold cannot draft in the first round, while teams over the lowest threshold and among the 10 smallest markets that make the playoffs would receive an additional draft pick after the first round.
Can a lengthy lockout be avoided this winter? No one wants a work stoppage that leads to a lost season, as the 1994 strike demonstrated, costing the league that season and taking years to recover fan trust. Despite the Dodgers' recent dominance, the league is as healthy as ever, but the MLBPA remains the strongest union in North American sports and rarely concedes to owners' demands. Therefore, there is legitimate concern that the 2027 season could be in serious jeopardy. Both sides would be wise to meet in the middle, and Sherman's ideas offer a path that does not limit players' earning opportunities but gives wealthy teams a reason to keep spending closer to their rivals. An extended lockout can be avoided if the league and players adopt some of the balanced concepts already used by other North American leagues.
Originally reported by yahoo.