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Major League Baseball Proposes 2028 Salary Cap and Floor
Published:
MLB update here:
Evan Drellich from The Athletic posted the full memo from Major League Baseball, which includes proposals to increase the minimum salary to $1 million and allow players to reach free agency after five years instead of six.
The general public seems to think that a lockout is a foregone conclusion for 2027. So does Bryce Harper. But the latest MLB proposal does expand on the cap and floor numbers, last proposed at $254 and $171 million. That’s in addition to the delayed implementation.
The Phillies would probably cruise over the $258 million cap if it went into effect right now. They’ve got about $218 million tied up in 10 players and then a bunch of arbitration-eligible guys like Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and Jhoan Duran. They’ll free themselves from Zack Wheeler’s contract in 2028, which will bring down the wage bill by $42 million and get them under the cap, if that’s what ends up happening.
If you go by the 2026 numbers, the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Braves also had payrolls above the proposed $258 million cap.
The 15 teams that would have had to spend to get over the proposed $180 million floor are the Mariners, Orioles, Royals, Brewers, Reds, Rockies, Twins, Pirates, White Sox, Nationals, A’s, Cardinals, Rays, Marlins, and Guardians.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com