The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets have been two of the most aggressive teams this offseason, combining to spend well over $1 billion on player contracts.
The Mets made the biggest splash when they signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, which represents the largest deal in professional sports history.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have continued to load up after winning the 2024 World Series. They re-signed Teoscar Hernández while also adding the likes of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott and Michael Conforto, among others.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, some team owners seem to be growing in favor of an MLB salary cap after the Dodgers’ and Mets’ respective spending sprees:
The rekindling of a cap conversation has already begun — particularly by owners peeved by the Dodgers’ spending and the sheer size of Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million, no-deferred-money deal with the New York Mets.
That there are multiple team owners frustrated over the Dodgers’ spending isn’t surprising. Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts recently shared some criticism of L.A.’s financial resources and said his club merely tries to break even every year.
MLB is the only major North American professional sports league without a salary cap or floor. However, outspending teams doesn’t necessary correlate to success.
Over the last 25 years, the team with the largest payroll in baseball has won the World Series just four times.
Any proposal of a salary cap by team owners would almost certainly be met with opposition by the MLB Players Association (MLBPA). That could set the stage for another lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026.
Scott Boras defends Dodgers’ spending
Agent Scott Boras, who represents Soto, Snell and several other high-profile players, praised the Dodgers for making a consistent effort to win the World Series.
“I would say that, as George Steinbrenner said, ‘Whatever you do to compete, the fact that I can compete in a different way than others, so be it,’” Boras said at Snell’s introductory press conference with the Dodgers.
“I don’t think that has anything to do with the number of trophies that hang over your stadium. I don’t think fans remember that.”
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