Yankees Star, Former Dodgers OF Shuts Down Potential Salary Cap

Though the 2026 regular MLB season hasn't even begun, some (including New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger) are already looking ahead to 2027. That's when the current collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA, the player's union) is set to end, and the two parties are set to negotiate new terms.

A salary cap will likely be one of the biggest sticking points between the league and the MLBPA during forthcoming contract negotiations. While some team owners, including Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner, have expressed their support for a cap, players like Bellinger have been firmly against it.

“I don’t think we’re gonna change the whole dynamic of the sport because a team goes on a run and they’ve clicked on every free agent,” Bellinger said to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, “I don’t think you can change baseball forever because a team did the right thing for a while.”

Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Much of the conversation has centered around Bellinger's former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, for perceived over spending that corresponds with winning. The Dodgers have won three World Series since 2020, including back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, and a salary cap has been proposed as a way to prevent a "pay to win" system.

As it stands now, teams must pay a special competitive balance tax, also called a luxury tax, for spending over a certain threshold. That threshold was set at $241 million in 2025 and will be $244 million. The Dodgers' $169 million luxury tax bill alone in 2025 was more than the total salary spend of the 19 lowest spending teams, per Spotrac.

Cody Bellinger Supports Dodgers Spending Tactics

For Bellinger's part, he thinks Los Angeles' strategy of spending big on splashy free agents is better than what fans of some teams know all too well: an aversion to spending that leads to consistent losses.

“It’s better what they do than having all these assets and not spending," he said, "I think that’s worse.”

“I would think it would be bad for baseball if they’re making all this money and they’re pocketing it and not putting it into the organization and they’re not putting the best product out on the field," he continued.

While the 2026 season rolls on, with Bellinger in Pinstripes for the next five years, the threat of an impending lockout looms. If the MLB and MLBPA can't reach an agreement on the terms of a new CBA, the players could strike, as they have in the past. For Bellinger, though, he's focused on the product on the field.

“You don’t get them [elite players] at the dollar store. And I imagine I would want to put the best product on the field for my fans. That’s how I imagine myself owning a team.”

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