Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that the league is planning to play baseball in 2027, despite current labor negotiations with the MLB Players Association for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The current CBA is set to expire on December 1, and regular meetings are taking place between the two sides. Manfred emphasized the owners' goal is to reach a deal and avoid a work stoppage, a situation which last occurred with a 99-day lockout in March 2022.
The primary point of contention revolves around the owners' proposal for a salary cap system, with a proposed cap of $245.3 million per team and a salary floor of $171.2 million. The MLBPA is vehemently opposed to a salary cap, arguing it would hurt players while enriching owners. They are instead pushing for increases to the minimum salary, currently $780,000, and enhancements to the pre-arbitration bonus pool, as well as reduced restrictions on the luxury tax threshold. Owners cite the Los Angeles Dodgers' spending, which included a record $515 million in payroll and luxury tax last year and contracts like Shohei Ohtani's and Juan Soto's with substantial deferred payments, as a reason for needing a cap to ensure competitive balance.
Other sticking points in the negotiations include service time, an international draft, and the distribution of TV revenue. The owners' proposal also includes sharing media revenue equally and a ban on deferred contract payments. If an agreement is not reached by the deadline, a lockout by MLB owners is considered the more likely scenario, which would halt all league business. However, new media rights contracts may provide a safeguard: missing a certain threshold of games could extend current broadcast deals past 2028, potentially pressuring owners to end a protracted work stoppage.
