MLB Proposes Delaying Salary Cap to 2028 Season

Major League Baseball proposed delaying implementation of its salary cap and floor system to the 2028 season, announcing the shift as the current collective-bargaining agreement nears its December 1 expiration.

The league said the delay would allow a "smoother transition into the cap and floor system without delaying key player benefits," according to a social media post issued Tuesday.

MLB presented updated cap and floor figures—$258.2 million and $180.2 million—to the MLB Players Association during a meeting on Tuesday. Those numbers are higher than the $245.3 million cap and $171.2 million floor previously floated by the league, sources told ESPN. Both proposals are tied to MLB’s broader offer of a 50/50 revenue split.

Under the new proposal, Competitive Balance Tax thresholds—the luxury-tax mechanism that penalizes high-payroll teams—will remain unchanged for the 2027 season.

The move follows Monday’s opening of free agency and growing uncertainty over labor stability. The MLBPA has consistently opposed any salary cap, and union officials have estimated players would lose more than $1 billion if a cap were adopted. That gap underscores the risk of a work stoppage when the CBA expires on December 1.

Photo: Hector Rodriguez / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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