Yankees Fan Becoming Key Voice in MLB Salary Cap Debate

The MLB's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in December 2026, and the organization will conduct labor talks with the Players Association to establish some rules of the road for professional baseball going forward. A New York Yankees fan account is becoming a major voice in the conversation.

This year, the MLB established a fan committee to discuss everything from torpedo bats to social media, including 90 fans with social media followings who meet with MLB representatives once a month to give their two cents.

In their November meeting, per The Athletic's Evan Drellich, the organization broached the subject of a salary cap in the new CBA. A Yankee fan going by "Rational Yankees Fan" on Twitter (now X) was quoted heavily on the subject.

“They know they have a major PR battle coming up with this CBA negotiation, and they’re trying to test the best ways to frame the discussion to the public as to why a salary cap, or changes like that, might make sense,” the fan, whose name is P. T. Tierney, said via Drellich. “Competitive balance could be the way that they go to the public and try to justify it.”

Apr 16, 2014; Hal Steinbrenner speaks at the press conference honoring Nelson Mandela plaque dedication at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman-The Star-Ledger | SL

Yankee Opinions on a Salary Cap

Tierney obviously isn't the only voice in the discussions, but he is unique in his perspective that the salary cap discussion is more about PR for executives than it is for competitive fairness in baseball. As for the Yankees organization, owner Hal Steinbrenner has stated that he is in favor of a salary cap in the new CBA, as long as it also includes a salary floor.

"Something that would be reasonable enough that it would improve competitive balance significantly in the sport, which many fans would argue is not good enough. I think we’ve made strides the last 10 years in some of the things we’ve done," Steinbrenner said, via Tierney.

"As an industry, probably not where we need to be at least — or at least that’s what the majority of fans believe. There’s a number of ways to attack that problem, including some we’ve done in the past."

Fans of smaller market teams did not seem to share the opinion that the conversations were rooted in greed, sharing in some cases that it seemed the MLB just wanted to talk about numbers.

Feb 16, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees Hal Steinbrenner managing general partner and general partner Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal sit and watches starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) (not pictured) talk with media as he formally announced that he will be retiring after this season during spring training camp at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The subject of fairness is a hot one ahead of the CBA talks, as the bigger-market teams spend more and are often able to put a better product on the field, and while spending doesn't equate to winning one-to-one, it doesn't hurt to have the best offer on the table for the best players in the league. The sport is more interesting if everyone has a fair shot, and greed seeps into each argument.

Organizations like the Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled to put together a contending baseball team over their 18 years under the ownership of Bob Nutting, and the astonishingly low payroll ($84,423,338 in 2025) is a major factor in that. Whether the league is interested in fan sentiment for PR or out of sincere curiosity, the committee is serving to amplify fan perspectives and pour some more oil on the coming talks.

The Yankees are known for having deep pockets, but they no longer lead the league in payroll, coming in third for total payroll in 2025 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.

The MLB is the only major professional sports league in North America without a salary cap, and it may be a realistic possibility after these labor talks. If the Yankees organization is in favor of one, many smaller-market organizations are more than likely in the same boat.

Talks will take place over the year to come, and with any luck, they'll come to an agreement in time to avoid a work stoppage in winter 2026.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!