Baseball has been riding a wave of momentum, but it looks increasingly likely to come to a crashing halt with a looming work stoppage next year.
Even though MLB has seen rising ratings and interest in the regular season and postseason, and recent rule changes have been well received by fans, there is one major existential issue looming — a salary cap.
MLB owners made their first firm public proposal known this week that would bring transformational change to the sport. The proposal would introduce a salary cap (and equally as important, a salary floor), while doing so through the centralization of all local television revenue.
While that would bring resistance from players, it would also be tough to convince big market teams with lucrative deals like the Yankees and Dodgers to suddenly start sharing. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes that increased team valuations from centralized revenue can offset those losses. But it’s going to be a tough sell to everyone.
And that includes Ken Rosenthal.
On Foul Territory, Rosenthal said that in spite of what MLB and some fans believe, the competitive balance of the sport is healthy and MLB doesn’t need a salary cap.
Saying baseball is broken “drives me crazy,” says @Ken_Rosenthal.
“The system isn’t perfect, but does it need a salary cap that could cost us games in 2027 to be rectified? I will always believe the answer is no.” pic.twitter.com/EM9lIGm3EO
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 29, 2026
“This drives me crazy,” Rosenthal stated. “For years, the way I’ve always understood the sport, and I started baseball writing in 1987, is that the regular season is the true measure of a team’s quality. The playoffs are the playoffs and you only have one World Series champion. But what you do in the regular season matters. And the sport, even while it’s expanding the playoffs, has largely been built around that.”
Ken Rosenthal pointed to the Los Angeles Dodgers and how they were almost knocked out of the 2024 playoffs by the San Diego Padres as proof that there is an element of luck and fortune when it comes to winning the World Series. And in spite of their lack of postseason success, he sees the regular season victories of teams like the Brewers and Guardians as proof that the current system, while not perfect, is still working. And that a salary cap that threatens a major work stoppage is not the answer.
“What I look at is competitive balance is the success of Milwaukee and Cleveland and Tampa Bay almost year after year. Their ability to compete in the regular season. And maybe one of these years they’re going to be able to do it and go all the way through in the postseason. Now, does that mean the system is perfect and can not be fixed or should not be fixed? No. I am not saying that. And again, I can’t imagine anyone would say, hey, this is great right now, this is just perfect. It’s not perfect. But does it need a salary cap that could cost us games in ’27 to be rectified? I still believe the answer is no and I will be always believing the answer is no. There are other ways,” Rosenthal said.
While you can certainly understand and respect where he is coming from, ultimately teams don’t hang banners for competitive regular seasons. Fans don’t buy t-shirts and merch noting how many Central Division titles you’ve won over a five-year span. It’s about winning titles. And if some teams like the Dodgers are going to have the best team money can buy, odds are they are going to win a seven-game series over a team without those same resources way more times than not.
But as for the other variable involved, we know how much damage a lasting work stoppage can do to the game. And Ken Rosenthal has put that chance at an almost near-certainty. So everyone involved would be wise to consider all possible ramifications with the future of baseball at stake.
