Dodgers Star Plans to Fight MLB's Attempt to Implement Salary Cap

The Los Angeles Dodgers know a thing or two about spending money, boasting the second-highest total payroll in Major League Baseball this season.

Their spending habits have paid off, with a pair of World Series titles over the past two seasons. This season, a roster that cost well over $500 million is looking to add a third consecutive title, holding a 49-27 record that leads all of MLB.

However, the Dodgers' spending habits could look a lot different after the 2026 season, as MLB owners and the Players' Union have begun negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement, which expires in December of this year.

During these negotiations, a disagreement has surfaced that could alter the sport entirely and lead to a potential lockout next season: The owners want a salary cap; the players do not.

The Dodgers have been a central figure in this conflict, as they outspent the cheapest roster in the league, controlled by the Miami Marlins, by $446 million last season. According to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, even the Dodgers are aware that something has to give.

"I think that the Dodgers understand there is a need to update the overall economic model in the industry and that the upside associated with that, in terms of growing the industry, growing the popularity of the sport, is big for large markets, small markets, owners and players in every way," Manfred told ESPN.

While the Dodgers leadership might be in favor of a salary cap, their stars certainly are not.

"Of course they're always gonna go after the people spending the most," Dodgers catcher Will Smith told The California Post about the Dodgers' role in the salary cap conversations.

While a salary cap might introduce more parity to the league, it would also obviously limit earning opportunities for players. And, at the end of the day, an expensive roster doesn't guarantee a championship, as there were multiple times in the 2025 postseason where the Dodgers were one mistake away from elimination.

“Obviously, having those resources is gonna make your team so much better,” Dodgers infielder and World Series hero Miguel Rojas told the California Post. “I understand all that. I’m not shying away from all that. It’s great to be a Dodger.”

The debate over the salary cap is far from over, and could carry into 2027 and might even lead to a lockout. The sport is no stranger to lockouts, as owners and the players fought over a new CBA for 99 days beginning in December 2021, delaying the start of the 2022 season.

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