All-Stars don't like MLB salary cap proposal, still time for deal

PHILADELPHIA — Paul Skenes, Juan Soto and Bryce Harper are among baseball's All-Stars who say players will never agree to a salary cap but maintain there's plenty of time to avoid a conflict that could shorten the 2027 season. "Both sides kind of have their line that they're not going to cross," Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace who is also a member of the union's eight-man negotiating committee, said Monday. "Whether that results in missing games or missing a season, we'll see." Baseball's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1 and MLB is expected to immediately lock out players. The more consequential deadline is in late February or early March, when Major League Baseball would announce whether it was postponing opening day. Owners proposed a salary cap for the first time since the union fought off MLB's cap plan with a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that caused the first cancellation of the World Series since 1904. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says a cap is needed to lessen payroll disparity. Soto, who signed a record $765 million, 15-year-old contract with the New York Mets as a free agent after the 2024 season, would be limited to a $265 million, six-year deal under MLB's proposal. "Yeah, that sucks," Soto said. "It shouldn't be there." MLB's proposal would cap spending in 2027 at $245.3 million, using figures for luxury tax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool. It also would establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing some teams to spend more. The Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball's biggest spenders, had a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this year. MLB has not made a proposal on how to phase in a cap, a process that would be key for high-spending clubs such as the Dodgers. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, at 34 in the eighth season of a $426.5 million, 12-year contract, said players are aware of the proposal's intent. "It's trying to minimize the years and obviously the totals. For sure, we see that," he said. "I think baseball's in a good spot right now and we can't mess this up." Harper, in the eighth season of a $330 million, 13-year contract with Philadelphia, said he couldn't conceive of any scenario in which the players' association would agree to a cap. "The opportunity for players to get paid is what this is all about," Harper said, citing the union's legacy of fighting MLB since Curt Flood helped unite players in the 1970s. "We owe it to the guys that have come before us to do the same thing." Harper, who signed his first major league contract at age 17, also vowed to fight MLB's proposal to ban a player from signing until he was at least 20 years old by the Sept. 1 of his signing year and two years removed from the graduating year of his high school class. MLB says college baseball provides a better development path. "If you're in the top three rounds as a high school kid, I think you should be able to do whatever you want," Harper said. "It would really be tough for a guy like Jackson Holliday to not be the number one pick and not get the chance to go to the big leagues at 19 or 18 if he's able to." Bargaining began in May and is expected to resume after the All-Star break. The union has asked for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum. Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft viewed the early negotiations as "back-and-forth proposals that may or may not be unrealistic." Skenes, a 24-year-old right-hander in his second full big league season, could see a sharp decrease in potential contract offers under MLB's system. He currently is on track to become a free agent after the 2029 season and has a $1,085,000 salary in his last season before arbitration eligibility. He also has earned nearly $5.6 million from the pre-arbitration bonus pool that started in 2022. "MLB is kind of presenting their perfect-world offers and we're kind of presenting our perfect-world offers," Skenes said. "So there's a lot of time before there's any real movement, I think." San Diego's Mason Miller, baseball's top closer, also could become a free agent following the 2029 season. A 27-year-old right-hander, he is earning $4 million this season. "I still have some optimism," he said. "The place that the game's at right now, I think killing that momentum is kind of fruitless for everybody."