No, A Salary Cap Would Not Fix Major League Baseball

The response from fans of Major League Baseball to this year's offseason has been absurd, to say the least. 

Teams in big markets, like the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox or Miami Marlins, have done little to nothing. In some cases, like Houston, they've traded important players like closer Ryan Pressly simply to clear salary. The Marlins, despite playing in one of the largest markets in the country, have spent literally zero dollars in free agency. The San Diego Padres, once free spenders, are now reportedly exploring trading starting pitchers Michael King or Dylan Cease to clear payroll and try to compete while rebuilding. 

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernandez, Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott, Hyesong Kim, Michael Conforto, Roki Sasaki, and extended Tommy Edman. All of those contracts total roughly $440 million, not accounting for deferrals. And that's just over half what the New York Mets gave Juan Soto. The Yankees have added nearly $300 million in new salary commitments themselves, between Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Max Fried. 

Strangely, most fans have directed their ire toward the Dodgers, demanding a salary cap to reign in their runaway spending. Some have suggested that there's no point in watching baseball in 2025, assuming that the Dodgers are unbeatable. Even though they enter the season with a 75% chance of not winning the World Series.

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Regardless, if there's a lesson to be learned from this past weekend in sports, salary caps don't fix competitive balance issues. And it wouldn't fix baseball either.

Los Angeles, CA - October 14:   Shohei Ohtani #17 reacts as teammate Tommy Edman (not pictured) of the Los