All-Stars oppose MLB salary cap, say there's still time to reach deal - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Paul Skenes, Juan Soto and Bryce Harper are among baseball's All-Stars who say players will never agree to a salary cap but maintain there's plenty of time to avoid a conflict that could shorten the 2027 season.

«Both sides kind of have their line that they're not going to cross,» Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace who is also a member of the union's eight-man negotiating committee, said Monday. «Whether that results in missing games or missing a season, we'll see.»

Baseball's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1, and MLB is expected to immediately lock out players. The more consequential deadline is in late February or early March, when Major League Baseball would announce whether it was postponing opening day.

Owners proposed a salary cap for the first time since the union fought off MLB's cap plan with a 7½-month strike in 1994-95 that caused the first cancellation of the World Series since 1904. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says a cap is needed to lessen payroll disparity.

Soto, who signed a record $765 million, 15-year-old contract with the New York Mets as a free agent after the 2024 season, would be limited to a $265 million, six-year deal under MLB's proposal.

«Yeah, that sucks,» Soto said. «It shouldn't be there.»

MLB's proposal would cap spending in 2027 at $245.3 million, using figures for luxury tax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. It also would establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing some teams to spend more.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball's biggest spenders, had a $415.2 million payroll on Opening Day this year. MLB has not made a proposal on how to phase in a cap, a process that would be key for high-spending clubs such