MLB’s next collective bargaining agreement negotiations are still a year away, but it’s been made very clear that the biggest topic of conversation will be the possible imposition of a salary cap.
The presence of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who recently won their second consecutive World Series with a payroll of around $400 million, fuels the case for such a system. One would imagine that few on the Dodgers would want something that could limit spending, but manager Dave Roberts had a surprising perspective Wednesday.
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Appearing on Prime’s “Good Sports,” host Kenan Thompson asked Roberts if baseball should have a salary cap. He didn’t say yes, but he also said he would be OK with the change:
“You know what? I agree with that. I think the NBA has done a good job of sharing revenue with the players and the owners. But if you want to kind of take away the spending at the top, I think you have to raise the floor so that the bottom end spends money as well.”
This is the same man who, a month and a half ago, openly mocked detractors who claimed his team was “ruining baseball.” He apparently also has some thoughts on bottom-feeders.
The suggestion of a minimum salary in addition to a salary cap, as Roberts pitches, has been speculated as a compromise that could lead players to consider the idea of a cap, which has failed in MLB collective bargaining since the advent of free agency. If team owners get involved, work stoppage will become almost a certainty.
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MLB remains the only major North American sports league without a salary cap. In 2025, CBT payroll ranges from the New York Dodgers and Mets ($338 million) to the Chicago White Sox ($92 million) and Miami Marlins ($85 million).
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Counting only the players who were on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster at the end of 2025, their payroll was $347 million, according to Cot contracts. However, when you add in the factors that go into the CBT payroll, such as benefits and salaries for players no longer on the roster, that number rises to $415 million, the largest in MLB history. The Dodgers will also pay about $167 million in luxury tax, meaning that, from a CBT perspective, they just won a title that cost $582 million.
The team already has $320 million in pocket for 2026 and is likely to add more, given the holes in its outfield and bullpen.
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However, it is not clear that a salary cap would result in the destruction of Los Angeles’ current run, as Los Angeles also has one of the most advanced player development pipelines in MLB and a farm system considered one of the best in baseball.
Roberts is well aware that if the Dodgers suddenly need to rely on younger, cheaper talent, they have the resources to do so. A salary cap would only remove one way for the Dodgers to get ahead of the competition.
