MLB weighs a salary cap as potential lockout looms in 2026

For decades, Major League Baseball has stood alone among the major U.S. sports leagues as the only one without a salary cap.

For decades, Major League Baseball has stood alone among the major U.S. sports leagues as the only one without a salary cap.

Team owners may test that dynamic at the end of next year.

MLB owners as well as Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office have begun privately contemplating what a new league economic structure could look like as the league heads toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with players, according to people familiar with the matter. The league’s current CBA expires on Dec. 1, 2026.

MLB officials have discussed adding both a salary cap and a salary floor, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The Major League Baseball Players Association, however, has long been against a salary cap, and the group says its position hasn’t changed.

The result is a potential lockout in December of next year when the current CBA expires — one that appears increasingly likely given the opposing positions of both sides.