MLB delays salary cap proposal to 2028 amid union pushback

MLB on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, proposed delaying its salary cap and floor from 2027 to 2028, with a projected 2028 cap of $258.2 million and floor of $180.2 million, up from prior figures of $245.3 million and $171.2 million. Glen Caplin said clubs will need a full offseason to prepare and that a 2028 start would allow a smoother transition into the cap-and-floor system without delaying key player benefits. Under those projections, 12 clubs would need to increase payroll by a combined $636 million to meet the floor and 8 clubs, including the Dodgers (2026 luxury-tax payroll of $433 million) and the Red Sox, would need to decrease payroll by a combined $528 million to meet the cap, for a net overall payroll increase of $108 million. Existing luxury-tax and revenue-sharing rules would remain for 2027. MLB said it conditionally accepted the players’ May proposal to reduce free-agency eligibility from six to five years for players age 30 and older, agreed to eliminate the qualifying-offer system, and proposed raising the minimum salary to $1 million. Bruce Meyer said during the World Series the fight is about owners’ desire for a system that artificially suppresses player salaries, player movement, and player guarantees. The MLBPA did not immediately issue a formal response. Free agency began Nov. 2, 2026; the CBA expires at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1.