Cardinals Fans Will Surprisingly Love MLB Owners' CBA Proposal

St. Louis Cardinals fans may actually love the league's first CBA proposal.

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With negotiations starting to heat up around the league, both the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball in general have made proposals this week for a new collective bargaining agreement with the current one set to expire after the season.

Shockingly, St. Louis Cardinals fans may actually love what the owners came up with on Thursday. ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported the league's proposal includes a salary cap of $245.3 million and a salary floor of $171.2 million.

"Breaking: As expected, MLB proposed a hard salary cap to union officials today as part of the next CBA, sources tell ESPN. The salary floor for teams beginning in 2027 would be set at $171.2 million which includes player benefits with the ceiling at $245.3 million," Rogers wrote.

The Cardinals Fans Will Love the League's First Offer

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

It's not just as simple as the salary cap and floor, but these are the two biggest details that stand out at first glance. If you're a Cardinals fan, this would be music to your ears as well. For the Cardinals, they would be one of the teams around baseball that would actually be required to spend more under this offer. Right now, the Cardinals' tax payroll is sitting just above $111 million. The Cardinals are 29-25 on the season so far. Imagine this team if they had to spend $59 million more on talent? That amount of money in itself would be enough to afford an ace-level pitcher as well as a high-level slugger right off the bat.

The Cardinals' roster is young and the plan for the 2026 season has been development. The club has done everything right so far this season. But a salary floor of this level would go a long way for the fanbase because the team would be required to throw more money at the club. We've already seen the Cardinals take a step in the right direction this season with this young core. Throw in an extra $59 million to this team and all of a sudden we're arguably talking about a potential contender, or at least a playoff team.

Now, of course this is the league's first offer and it won't likely be accepted. But if there is a salary floor in this range by the time all is said and done in negotiations, it would be big for the Cardinals fanbase. The salary cap is going to be a very difficult sell, but this is just the beginning.