In a new interview, Athletics All-Star Brent Rooker added fuel to rumors that a salary cap will be a non-starter for players in a new collective bargaining agreement.
Right now, MLB players are either down in Florida or Arizona getting ready for the 2026 MLB season. While the goals and aspirations for the new season are at the forefront of their minds, something dark is looming in the distance. Negotiations on the next CBA between the league and the MLB Players Association.
Due to the out-of-control spending by the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and other big-market teams over the last few years, the word around the game is that many owners are willing to die on the hill of finally bringing a hard salary cap to MLB. It is something other major leagues like the NFL, NHL, and NBA have or something similar.
However, it has yet to make its way to MLB because the MLBPA has proven time and again that they are the strongest players’ union in sports. Whenever the owners push hard for a major change, the players push back even harder, and they have yet to break.
Brent Rooker on hard cap: We’re not going to tolerate that being implemented
And when it comes to a hard cap, Athletics two-time All-Star Brent Rooker is the latest MLB star to make it clear that the idea is a complete non-starter for players.
“Salary caps are designed to suppress wages so owners can make more money. That’s pretty much it. That’s the goal behind them. They are not trying to accomplish anything else. That’s not good for players, that’s not good for the league, that’s not good for competitive balance or parity.
“We’re not going to tolerate that being implemented into our game,” Rooker said when asked about a hard cap during a Wednesday appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.
It sure seems like both sides are ready to dig in deep on the issue of a hard cap. If they are both unwavering, it looks like another work stoppage — like in 1994 — is coming early next year.
