By Tyler Erzberger0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Major League Baseball is as popular as it has ever been in the 21st century, as television ratings, ballpark attendance, and global fan interest are at an all-time high.
And we might not have a season in 2027.
Earlier this week, the MLB players' union sent its initial proposal for the new collective bargaining agreement, which must be agreed upon this coming winter, and on Thursday, the owners sent back their rebuttal, showcasing the canyon-sized gap between the two sides.
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The owners, for the first time since the 1994 lockout, are proposing a hard cap of $245.3M with a floor of $171.2M, which would include players' benefits.
It didn't even take hours for the players' union to respond, stating that the owners are looking to cap only what athletes on the field can make, while continuing to rake in billions without any ceiling.
What was feared is coming true: this is going to be a long, drawn-out war of attrition from both sides, and the 2027 MLB season might be in serious danger.
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For the players, accepting a salary cap, even if it rises to $300 million (where the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, the two biggest payrolls, hover around before the luxury tax), would be a point of no return. The cap would be set in place permanently, and ownership groups would have leverage going forward.
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On the other hand, this might be the best opportunity imaginable for MLB to win over fans, especially if the Dodgers secure a three-peat this season and showcase their financial advantage over the rest of the league (don't look at the Mets). This might be their only chance for decades to try to implement a cap during a time when one team is ruling over the rest of MLB, which is generally parity-filled.
The MLB might have surpassed the NBA as the second-most popular league in North America over the past few years, but a lockout, if it wipes out an entire season, could set the sport back for the next decade.
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