MLB proposes delaying salary cap until 2028 season
Major League Baseball has proposed pushing its salary cap plan back to the 2028 season while keeping the rest of its labor offer for 2027, as the sport nears a Dec. 1 deadline that could trigger a lockout.
Major League Baseball has offered to push back the start of its proposed salary cap to the 2028 season, making the concession as the sport barrels toward a possible lockout on Dec. 1.
In its latest labor proposal, the league suggested a $258.2 million cap paired with a $180.2 million floor beginning in 2028, while the rest of its 2027 offer would stay intact. Starting in 2028, the league said, would allow a smoother transition into a cap-and-floor system without delaying the deal's other provisions.
The players' union has consistently opposed any cap, and union officials have said players would lose more than $1 billion if they agreed to one. The gap makes a lockout likely when the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, just as free agency opens.
The proposed floor would force low-payroll teams to spend at least $180.2 million. The league argues the structure would improve competitive balance, while the union views the cap itself as a non-starter.
Baseball has not had a work stoppage since the 1994-95 strike, which canceled the World Series — but the specter of another shutdown is growing. With the deadline weeks away, the delayed cap represents the league's clearest signal yet of how far it is willing to bend to reach a deal, and how much still separates the two sides.
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