Padres Stars Send Clear Message to MLB on Potential Salary Cap

Jake Cronenworth and Nick Pivetta will each have a hand in representing MLB players in upcoming CBA negotiations.

Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred before game three of the 2025 MLB World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres players are taking a firm stance on a potential MLB salary cap with this latest message.

Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth revealed players across the league wholeheartedly agree on one thing: there should be no salary cap in MLB.

“We’ve taken a pretty hard stance on that,” Cronenworth, who is a member of the union’s eight-player executive subcommittee, said to the Times of San Diego. “Not just this year, but forever. I think that shows the unity and the strength of the Players Association. Everybody can agree on that, absolutely.”

Padres right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta also explained why the league shouldn't follow in the steps of the other three major sports.

“I think you see what NFL, NBA and NHL players have to deal with on a daily basis with their contracts,” Pivetta, who is one of the Padres player representatives, said. “I don’t think we want to follow in that direction. We allow the market to be what it is and allow it to be a free market and make the adjustments in the CBA to help the guys who are being taken advantage of.”

MLB Potential Salary Cap Explained

The league's collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026. The main point of contention is whether the two sides will agree to implement a salary cap, which has sparked rumors of a potential lockout for the 2027 season.

There will be familiar names on both sides of negotiations, as explained by MLB insider Jeff Passan.

"There is a 38-member executive board of players, made up of eight elected, high-ranking subcommittee members (Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, plus veterans Chris Bassitt, Jake Cronenworth, Pete Fairbanks, Cedric Mullins, Marcus Semien and Brent Suter) and one representative from each team -- the delegates for the rank-and-file," Passan wrote.

"For the league: Deputy commissioner Dan Halem is the lead negotiator, commissioner Rob Manfred the ultimate authority. The league's labor policy committee -- headed by Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort, who is joined by Hal Steinbrenner (New York Yankees), John Sherman (Kansas City Royals), Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago White Sox), Ray Davis (Texas Rangers), Jim Pohlad (Minnesota Twins) and Mark Attanasio (Milwaukee Brewers) -- is the proxy for the 30 owners."

If the league does enter a lockout, this won't be the first time a season is delayed. MLB's Opening Day was pushed back in 2022, but a full 162-game season was still played. Games haven't been missed due to a lockout since 1994-95.

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