MLB, MLBPA Salary Cap Battle Takes Another Public Turn

The ongoing CBA negotiations took yet another turn on Monday.

Jun 30, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baseballs in a bucket prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association are ongoing, and very public.

At this point, both the league and the MLBPA have made initial collective bargaining agreement proposals. That's not all, though. Both sides have also publicly rejected and responded to the other side's proposal. Even that's not all. The public nature of the negotiations continued on Monday. The league responded to MLBPA union chief Bruce Meyer's response to the salary cap/salary floor proposal, as transcribed by USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"Our salary cap and floor proposal addresses our fans’ concerns by leveling the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50/50 like the other leagues," the league responded. "Under our proposal, Major League players will receive more compensation in year one of the system than in 2026. We are ready to listen if the MLBPA wants to counter our proposal at the bargaining table."

The Negotiations Have Been Very Public

Jul 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the field before the game between the San Diego Padres and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

MLB wastes no time responding to union chief Bruce Meyer:
‘Our salary cap and floor proposal addresses our fans’ concerns by leveling the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50/50 like the other leagues. Under our proposal, Major League players will…

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 1, 2026

The two sides have been very public so far throughout this process and it's clear that's going to be the strategy for both sides. It's certainly public relations as well. If you look the two sides, it's hard to argue that the league is winning the PR game so far. They proposed a salary cap of $245.3 million and a salary floor of $171.2 million. It also called for a 50/50 revenue split. It's much more complicated than just those numbers, though. There are also benefits baked into that as well. But the whole numbers have been favorably received across social media by fans.

The MLBPA shut down the idea immediately and in their initial response warned about the 1994-95 strike.

"The last time the owners made such an explicit push for a cap — over 30 years ago — it led to the longest work stoppage in MLB history," stood out from the MLBPA's response.

At the end of the day, neither side has made a perfect offer so far. It was the first offer. That's going to happen. Both sides threw out what they wanted and now it's about compromise. The salary floor is a great idea, but the salary cap arguably is significantly too low. Now, it's about coming together and not putting the league itself in a bad place because these two sides can't simply communicate.

The fans have been very loud so far throughout this process and that isn't going to go away.