A Misguided Cap
Bruce Meyer, the interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has sharply criticized the league’s push for a salary cap, calling the narrative of financial distress a ‘perverse’ justification for a measure that he says would ultimately hurt players and the sport’s future.
MLB owners introduced the cap concept in May, a move that has been rejected by the union. At the same time, league‑wide attendance has risen 1.2% from the previous season, averaging 29,230 fans per game, putting the sport on track for its highest attendance figures since 2017.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, and insiders expect a lockout to follow, which would mark the tenth work stoppage in baseball since 1972. The looming impasse comes despite the fact that no games have been lost since the 1994‑95 strike, when the World Series was canceled.
Meyer contends that teams possess the financial wherewithal to compete but elect not to, and he points to recent agreements in the NFL, NBA and NHL — where player unions accepted caps under duress — as cautionary tales. ‘A salary cap would be bad for players and for future generations,’ he said, arguing that the league’s prosperity should be shared rather than constrained.