How the MLBPA's New CBA Proposal Would Directly Impact the Colorado Rockies

The players’ union submitted its first proposal in the collective bargaining process, and many of the bullet points will directly affect the Colorado Rockies.

Colorado Rockies | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Major League Baseball Players Association has fired the first shot in the collective bargaining process. On Tuesday, the first submission to MLB owners was received, and it has major impacts for the Colorado Rockies.

Among the bullet points first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan included:

• a “competitive-integrity tax” targeting teams that spend below $150 million
• a minimum salary increase from $780,000 to $1.5 million
• a raise in the base competitive balance tax threshold from $244 million to $300 million.

For the Rockies, this is a reckoning of how the team has operated financially for years.

The Spending Floor

Colorado Rockies designated hitter Kris Bryant | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The proposed competitive-integrity tax will have the biggest effect on Colorado. The Rockies’ 2026 active-roster payroll sits at $67.7 million, with a total payroll, including injured-list salaries, of approximately $117.5 million.

Of course, the specific details of the proposal have not been released, so there is no way to estimate the penalty for falling below the $150 million floor. One thing is clear though, the MLPBA hopes to punish teams that suppress payroll while also collecting revenue sharing. The Rockies would be joined by 12 other teams that would have to pay a tax based on their payroll below $150 million.

MLBPA Makes Opening Proposals to Benefit All Players & Build Upon Industry Momentum pic.twitter.com/z1RD6EZoRf

— MLBPA (@MLBPA) May 27, 2026

Colorado has been one of the worst, if not the worst, teams in baseball for a few years now. Their payroll also reflects this trajectory. Per Sportrac, in 2023, they had a total payroll of approximately $176 million; in 2024, that number fell to $147.5 million. In 2025, the same trajectory with the total adjusted payroll being $127.3 million.

Now, it is true that spending doesn’t always equal winning, but the Monfort family has often faced criticism for their limited payroll, and it is true that Dick Monfort has been vocal about his resistance to having a floor.

It is also worth noting that Colorado is carrying possibly the worst contract in MLB. Kris Bryant, who is on the IL indefinitely due to a degenerative back condition, signed a seven-year, $182 million contract in 2022. Just for 2025, $27 million goes against the payroll records.

Given that Bryant will likely never step foot on an MLB field again, barring a miracle, the Rockies will have to continue to carry this weight through 2028.

So, if you take away that $27 million, the picture looks even worse. The healthy roster is being funded remarkably low for a Major League Baseball team.

The Minimum Salary Impact

Hunter Goodman | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The proposed jump from $780,000 to $1.5 million would hit the Rockies hard, in fact maybe harder than any other team. Colorado’s active roster shows 16 players who are currently earning between $780,000 and $810,000. They are all pre-arbitration players at or near the current league minimum.

It is shocking to note that these players include the likes of:

• Hunter Goodman
• TJ Rumfield
• Troy Johnston
• Edouard Julien
• Tanner Gordon.

Under the new proposal, each of these players would receive a raise to increase them to the minimum $1.5 million.

Across the 16 players, that would amount to approximately $11.5 million. That is before a single free agent is ever signed.

This is a significant number for a franchise currently restructuring and rebuilding. The move wouldn’t ruin a rebuild, but it would make roster decisions much more crucial at every point.

The CBT Threshold

This proposed part of the new agreement does not directly affect Colorado, obviously, but it does have an indirect effect. With teams like the Dodgers given more room to spend more aggressively without penalty, the competitive gap could widen even more.

The larger market teams would have a significant advantage over smaller market organizations. This would not be a welcome addition to a division that already includes teams like the Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks.

The Overall Effects

This is just the first shot in what will likely be many months of negotiations. These will not be the ultimate compromised points agreed to by the owners and the MLBPA.

The direction is clear from the MLBPA. The players want accountability for ownership groups that cut payroll while collecting revenue sharing, and unfortunately, the Colorado Rockies are a shining example of that.

The rebuild of this team is in its very early stages, and it could be argued that suppressing payroll is just being responsible. For the Rockies, that is a losing argument given their history.

The addition of the Penner Sports Group as a minority owner in this franchise could be the saving grace for the team. Maybe the Monforts saw the writing on the wall and knew that, in order to continue, more money would be necessary? Whatever the reason, the fresh set of eyes and, hopefully, a change of direction that the new ownership group brings were welcomed.

The outcome of these negotiations will directly affect the franchise’s future, probably as much as anything that is happening on the field currently.