Baseball's next labor fight will come down to three numbers: salary cap, salary floor, and luxury tax threshold. This free tool lets you design your own CBA proposal and instantly see which side hates it most.
A salary cap is a fixed ceiling on how much a team can spend on player payroll. The NFL, NBA, and NHL all have some form of cap. MLB has never had a hard salary cap. The baseball players' union (MLBPA) has historically treated it as a non-starter. Owners argue a cap would improve competitive balance. Players argue it would suppress salaries.
What Is a Salary Floor?
A salary floor is a minimum amount every team must spend on player payroll. Right now, there is no MLB salary floor. Some teams spend well under $100 million while others exceed $300 million. A floor would force low-spending teams to invest in their rosters, but it would also increase costs for smaller-market owners who may not want to spend more.
What Is the Luxury Tax?
The luxury tax (officially the Competitive Balance Tax or “CBT”) is a penalty teams pay when their payroll exceeds a set threshold. It acts as a soft salary cap: teams may exceed it, but it gets expensive. The threshold, the tax rates, and the penalties are all central bargaining points in every CBA negotiation.
Why This Matters
Every CBA negotiation is a fight over how baseball’s money gets divided. Owners want cost certainty. Players want higher pay and a fair share of revenue. Fans want competitive teams and affordable tickets. These three groups rarely agree — and that tension is exactly what this tool is designed to explore.
The Salary Cap/Floor Tool doesn’t tell you the right answer. It lets you feel the tradeoffs yourself.
No. It is a free fan-made interactive tool from MLB Lockout 2027.
Does this predict the actual next CBA?
No. It is a simplified simulator designed to help fans understand tradeoffs.
What numbers can I change?
You can set a team salary floor, a luxury tax threshold, and a hard salary cap.
Why do reactions differ?
Different stakeholders benefit from different economic structures. A high floor helps players and competitive balance. A low cap helps owners control costs. The tool shows these tensions in action.
Can I share my proposal?
Yes. The tool generates shareable links you can post to X, Bluesky, or anywhere else.
v1.00.00.14(May 28, 2026) — Presets updated to match real-world opening CBA proposals. “What Owners Want” now sets $170M floor + $245M cap (MLB’s first hard cap-and-floor proposal since 1994). “What Players Want” now sets $150M soft floor (MLBPA’s competitive integrity tax threshold). Scoring anchors already aligned from v1.00.00.05.
v1.00.00.05(May 2026) — Scoring recalibrated against MLB owner opening position: $171M floor anchor and $250M cap zone. Owner and player penalty tiers adjusted for realism.
v0.25.01(Apr 2026) — Complete scoring overhaul. Hard brackets replaced by continuous interpolation between anchor points — every $1M change now produces a proportional score shift.
v0.23.01(Mar 2026) — Smart nudge buttons, floor-to-cap ratio display, preset system, and desktop side-by-side layout.
v0.22.00(Feb 2026) — Standalone tool launched at lockout2027.com/salarycap with share links and deep-linking support.
Sources & Bibliography
This tool’s presets and scoring are calibrated against publicly reported CBA proposals and real-world baseball economics. Key references:
Jeff Passan, ESPN — “Breaking down initial MLB CBA proposals: Salary cap and more” (May 28, 2026). Covers both the MLB and MLBPA opening offers, the $245.3M/$171.2M cap-and-floor proposal, and the union’s competitive integrity tax counter.
Jesse Rogers & Jorge Castillo, ESPN — “MLB proposes first salary cap since 1994 strike” (May 28, 2026). Reports the specific cap/floor numbers, 50/50 revenue split, and centralized local TV proposal.
MLB Owner Proposal (May 28, 2026): $245.3M hard cap, $171.2M hard floor (incl. benefits), 50/50 revenue split, centralized local TV revenue, seven-year CBA term.
MLBPA Proposal (May 27, 2026): $300M CBT base threshold, $150M competitive integrity tax floor, $1.5M minimum salary (nearly doubled), $180M pre-arbitration bonus pool, reformed local TV revenue sharing.
Historical reference: The last MLB salary cap proposal was in 1994, which triggered a 7½-month player strike and the cancellation of the World Series — the first cancellation in 90 years.
Tool data reflects publicly available proposal details as of May 28, 2026. This is a fan-made educational tool, not an official source. Proposal numbers may change as negotiations progress.