MLB owners ‘ready to burn the f***ing house down’ to get salary cap

Hope springs eternal for baseball fans around the world as spring training opens for all MLB teams. The World Baseball Classic is almost here, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are defending MVP winners, and a historic dynasty goes for three World Series in a row. But that momentum could come to a screeching halt. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that an MLB lockout could be coming in 2027, as the owners push for a salary cap.

“Owners are angry, too. Their franchise valuations aren’t growing as quickly as their billionaire peers in other sports, and they blame the system that governs Major League Baseball. They don’t like it. Nearly every owner believes MLB needs a salary cap,” Passan reported.

He goes on to say that the owners see a salary cap as a way to improve franchise values and competitive balance. But those against a salary cap would take the competitive balance piece and argue against it. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first repeat World Series champions since 1999-2000. The hard-capped NHL has three repeat champions since 2017, and the NFL has not had an AFC Championship game without the Kansas City Chiefs or New England Patriots since 2011.

“They think a salary cap will fix everything, even if it means jeopardizing the 2027 season,” Passan reported. “‘They are ready to burn the f—ing house down,’ one high-ranking team official said.”

The 2022 lockout ate into spring training and pushed regular-season games later into the season. But, outside of COVID, MLB has played a full 162-game schedule each year since 1994. That is a fact that Rob Manfred is particularly proud of, and a goal that should be at the forefront of negotiations.

The 2027 MLB season could go the way of a lockout thanks to this mindset from the owners. How will fans react if a salary cap fight costs another World Series?

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