Major League Baseball owners are \u201craging\u201d in the wake of Kyle Tucker\u2019s free agency agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and it is now \u201ca 100 percent certainty\u201d that the owners will push for a salary cap, one person briefed on ownership conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys are going to go for a cap no matter what it takes,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n
Owner frustration reached a boiling point when Tucker agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal to join the Dodgers, the two-time defending world champions who already had the highest payroll in the sport. But what came in the wake of the Tucker news, a three-year, $126 million deal between the New York Mets and Bo Bichette, also raised dander, the source said, adding that the Dodgers and Mets might be the only teams that will try to stand in the way of a cap.<\/p>\n
MLB declined comment Tuesday. League commissioner Rob Manfred\u2019s position has long been that no decision has been formally made.<\/p>\n
A cap proposal has seemed likely<\/a> for more than a year now, but many in the industry expected<\/a> a Tucker signing would galvanize owners. Two other ownership sources took a softer approach, positioning the Tucker deal as validation of their longstanding positions: that revenue and payroll disparity in baseball need change.<\/p>\n Coming off two straight World Series titles, the Dodgers project to again have a payroll over $400 million in 2026. Only three other teams<\/a> are expected to be over $300 million. Two MLB teams based in Florida, the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, project to be under $100 million.<\/p>\n Owners still have to determine what salary floor and ceiling they\u2019re comfortable proposing, a discussion that\u2019s expected to be a topic at next month\u2019s regularly scheduled owners meeting. The floor, in particular, could be a contentious issue for smaller-market teams, some of which might stand to make more money on an operational basis in the current system. The value of all 30 franchises would instantly rise if a cap is introduced, however.<\/p>\n It would take at least eight owners of 30 to effectively hold up a labor deal, but when it comes to a cap, internal politics will not be the owners\u2019 biggest hurdle. Players have historically been willing to miss many games to avoid a cap system.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just completed one of the greatest seasons in MLB history, with unprecedented fan interest and revenues,\u201d union head Tony Clark said in a statement. \u201cWhile the free-agent market is far from over, it is gratifying to see players at all levels being rewarded for their incredible accomplishments by those clubs that are trying to win without excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n