"Negotiations are expected to begin after the regular season opens at the end of March. At this point, MLB plans are still preliminary, but sources have told The Post that ownership is willing to discuss significantly raising the minimum wage ($780,000 in 2026) and lowering the service time needed to reach arbitration and free agency as bargaining chips if it can get a cap in exchange."
"The initial, but, again, very preliminary, sense was that the floor for a first cap proposal would be in the $140 million-$160 million range and the ceiling $260 million-$280 million, according to sources, and that it would have to be grandfathered in for a few years to allow current low-payroll teams to rise and top-payroll clubs like the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees to cut back."
A major MLB labor confrontation is expected to escalate at season's end, with a likely December 1 lockout producing waves of negotiation pressure through spring. Teams have amassed war chests exceeding $2 billion and appear largely united in seeking a salary cap paired with a payroll floor. Ownership may offer higher minimum salaries and reduced service-time thresholds for arbitration and free agency in exchange for a cap. Preliminary proposals reportedly envision a first-cap floor near $140–$160 million and a ceiling near $260–$280 million, with grandfathering to ease transitions. A cap/floor system may require a wider spread than other sports and significant early-career pay increases to be viable.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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