MLBPA Gives Proof Owners Don’t Need A Salary Cap In New CBA

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MLBPA Gives Proof Owners Don’t Need A Salary Cap In New CBA

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Tommy Erbe | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 6:37 PM ET

Last week, the MLB Players’ Association and MLB owners traded proposals for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The owners, as expected, submitted a salary cap as part of their proposal. The MLBPA is adamant that they do not need one to move forward, and their leader provided real-time proof.

Bruce Meyer, interim executive director of the MLBPA, pointed to the way the San Diego Padres have been operating over the past several seasons as proof that owners attempting to win can give them what they’re looking for. Through Jesse Rogers’ X account, Meyer says, “We want to encourage more San Diegos. San Diego is a small-market team that went out, decided to compete, and signed a lot of players. Turned around their franchise…they are successful. They’ve grown attendance, they’ve grown interest, and we’ve all seen the explosion of their franchise value.”

The Padres were purchased for $800 million in 2012. After a reinvestment into the roster that resulted in more revenue and better outcomes, they sold again earlier this year. This time, the price tag was $3.9 billion.

MLBPA Uses San Diego Padres as an Example of Not Needing a Salary Cap in New CBA.

The Padres have made the postseason four of the last six seasons, which is quite the turnaround from where the franchise was when they were purchased in 2012. During that timeframe, they were only outside the top ten of roster spending in 2024. The roster remained competitive in a division led by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the big-market team generating the most calls for change. In that same timeframe, the Dodgers have made the playoffs every year and have won three championships.

Just as the MLBPA used the argument of the Padres that a salary cap is unnecessary, the MLB owners will probably be able to use it as a reason why it’s needed. They want to limit the spending of the roster so all 30 teams have a chance to dethrone teams like the Dodgers.

The owners feel like the only way that can happen is with a salary cap. MLB players feel owners can do it with integrity for spending on winning. The war wages on.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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