From time to time the same debate returns, this year it has been evident with Dodgers again in the World Series: should the MLB adopt a salary cap like the NBA or NFL? The question seems simple and many affirm it with a tone of divine revelation. As if this measure were going to fix, at once, all of baseball’s problems. But you have to look at it without makeup: a salary cap can end up being the best friend of owners who don’t want to compete.
Yes, there are teams that spend whatever is necessary. Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Padres and even Torontothe other finalist this year. If they see talent, they take out the checkbook. Does that bother? To some, of course. But it should be more bothersome that franchises like the Athletics, Pirates or Marlins receive millions in revenue sharing and still do not invest in improvement. And it’s not a conspiracy theory, the MLBPA has already had to call several of its owners. Everyone has been in the crosshairs for prioritizing dividends over competition. Teams that sit and wait for the check, close the cash register and tell their fans that “there is no money”, when there is. What there is not is the will to win. Therein lies the true imbalance: not in the one who spends too much, but in the one who prefers to lose without breaking a sweat.
Imposing a salary cap would be saying to the ambitious, “calm down, don’t go so fast, others will be left behind.” It would be rewarding managerial mediocrity. And the fan does not pay tickets to see how his team takes care of the wallet. Pay for the illusion of competing.
Furthermore, there is another key point: the players. MLB is the league where talent is paid the best because they earned it. Cutting its economic ceiling just to protect the pockets of owners who already collect from the system would be a mockery. The union will never accept that their growth be limited just when the figures support their value.
And here’s a reminder. There is already a brake (the luxury tax) that penalizes anyone who goes over the limit. Is it enough? Maybe not. But if parity is sought, the other side of the equation is also needed: a real and mandatory salary floor. That whoever receives money from revenue sharing spends it on players. Let the excuses wrapped in feigned poverty end.
So, salary cap yes or no? It depends on what you want to protect. If you want to save the teams that are not required, go ahead. If you want strong baseball in all markets, then those who conform must also be forced to compete.
