MLB salary cap proposal could reward Pirates for staying cheap

The looming threat of a lockout in Major League Baseball is threatening the immediate future of the sport in a way we haven't seen since 1994, but it's also a reckoning that simply needs to happen. The financial disparity between the spending power of the Los Angeles Dodgers (and New York Mets) and low-operating-budget teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates has simply grown too wide.

Hence, as unlikely as it seems, a salary cap hasn't just been floated as a possibility — it sounds like the owners are going to drag the entire league through an ugly, elongated, public battle for the right to institute one.

One possible proposal floated by Jon Heyman and expounded upon by outlets like The Guardian is a league with a salary cap and floor. Such a world would force the sport's highest spending teams to curb their record-breaking contract habits, while simultaneously forcing the penny pinchers to step up their game.

Sounds like a perfect solution, right? Well, there's quite a few pitfalls with such an idea, including the fact that the disparity between the proposed ceiling and floor is still far too wide.

Proposed MLB salary cap still offers too much leniency to teams like Dodgers and Pirates

That rumored $260-280 million ceiling and $140-160 million floor would impact only about half of the league. Only five teams are above that maximum mark, while 11 are currently set to sit below the minimum. That means 16 teams would need to find a way to become cap compliant by shedding or adding payroll, while 14 could simply sit back and relax.

Another issue is the disparity within those disparities. The Dodgers and Mets would need to each cut around $100 million to fall below the $280 million threshold; the Blue Jays would need to shed just about $20 million. Meanwhile, the Pirates would have to tack on an extra $20 million to reach the $140 million mark; the Marlins would effectively have to double their payroll to do the same.

Simply put, the gap between the proposed ceiling and floor is still too wide. Either the whole league needs to adhere to a strict guideline, or the system remains as is (which also is not an ideal outcome!). Even with a salary cap, the Dodgers would still be able to take $280 million a lot further than the Pirates could ever hope to stretch $140 million.

And before we dive too deep into possible solutions to this problem, it bears repeating that the MLBPA will never succumb to a salary cap. MLB is the only major North American sports league without one, a fact exploited by guys like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto to sign contracts in excess of $700 million. The owners would need to acquiesce on every single other issue plaguing the sport right now in order to get the players to even consider capping their collectively potential earnings.

In other words? Prepare for a long, contentious lockout in 2027.