Low-payroll MLB playoff teams fuel debate over owners' salary cap ahead of expected lockout

Right · 1Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires in December, and Fox News's OutKick reported that MLB and the MLB Players Association are "all but guaranteed to have a lockout beginning Dec. 1". 1 2 Right · 2The owners are pushing a salary cap paired with a salary floor, and the players are vehemently opposed. 1 3 Right · 1An OutKick opinion piece said that, with the Dodgers, Brewers and Rays through to the league championship series and the White Sox and Guardians still contesting the last spot, four of the final five teams ranked in the bottom 11 in pre-luxury-tax payroll, per Cot's Contracts. 2

Right · 1It cited the Brewers, with the 19th-highest payroll and the best record and run differential in the sport, and the Rays, whose No. 28 payroll swept the Yankees 3-0. 2 Right · 1The piece also argued that MLB's June social media posts, saying payroll disparity leaves fans without "hope", were misleading because some team income would fall outside the proposed 50/50 revenue split; it conceded that money helps and the Dodgers show it. 2 Right · 1In a Reason newsletter, Jason Russell wrote that a small-market World Series win by the Brewers (19th in payroll), Rays (28th) or Guardians (30th) would help the argument that no cap is needed, but would not change the owners' stance. 3

Right · 1Russell argued the owners are "almost certainly focused on keeping down their labor costs", noting some studies find caps do not create more balance while revenue sharing does, and that Formula 1 team valuations rose after a spending cap. 3 Right · 1He said the dispute will come down to who can endure a lockout longest, noted that President Donald Trump backs the owners' push for a cap although it is unclear how much he can influence talks, and said the National Labor Relations Board or a threat to MLB's antitrust exemption are possible but uncertain avenues. 3 Right · 1Former Yankees outfielder and World Series champion Nick Swisher told OutKick that games could "absolutely" be missed next season, saying the sides are "really, really far apart", while also saying baseball is "absolutely crushing" with revenue and attendance up. 1

Right · 1Swisher noted that Tony Clark resigned as head of the MLBPA in February and was succeeded by Bruce Meyer, and called the union "one of the strongest unions in the world". 1