Story perspectives

MLB owners propose $245.3M cap ahead of 2026 lockout

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

Read the story

Story summary

Summary

MLB owners plan to lock out players when the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026.
Owners propose a $245.3 million salary cap and a $171.2 million salary floor.
The Mets, Yankees and other teams exceed the $245.3 million cap, while the Brewers and others fall below the $171.2 million floor.
Free agency starts five days after the World Series.
All 40-man roster transactions halt on Dec. 1.

Summary

MLBPA interim director Bruce Meyer called the owners’ salary-cap proposal a “nuclear bomb” and “institutionalized collusion.”
Players demand the minimum salary rise to $1.5 million in 2027 and $2.2 million by 2031.
They want the pre-arbitration bonus pool increased from $50 million to $180 million.
The union seeks at least $240 million in revenue sharing per small-market club.
Players propose free agency after five years for those over age 30, cutting the six-year rule.

History

In August 1994, the MLBPA, headed by Donald Fehr, walked out after acting commissioner Bud Selig’s owners pressed a salary-cap proposal, ending the season on August 11 and canceling the World Series—the first such cancellation since 1904. The 232-day strike wiped out 948 games, cost owners $580 million and cut attendance 20 percent in 1995, a legacy that now drives the 2026 cap-floor negotiations.

1 of 3

In August 1994, the MLBPA, headed by Donald Fehr, walked out after acting commissioner Bud Selig’s owners pressed a salary-cap proposal, ending the season on August 11 and canceling the World Series—the first such cancellation since 1904. The 232-day strike wiped out 948 games, cost owners $580 million and cut attendance 20 percent in 1995, a legacy that now drives the 2026 cap-floor negotiations.

1 / 3