Baseball is thriving. Both MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Bruce Meyer, the interim executive director of the MLBPA, agree on that. Yet they are on opposite sides when it comes to deciding what happens next. Representing the team owners, Manfred is pushing for a salary cap, while Meyer and the players’ association strongly oppose it. With the current CBA set to expire on Dec. 1, multiple players have shared their views on a salary cap, including Mike Trout.

“I think it’s bad for the game,” Trout told the media at the All-Star Game. “The game’s in a great spot right now, and I just don’t support that (cap).”

This year’s leadoff center fielder for the AL All-Stars, Trout, is currently in the eighth year of a 12-year, $426.5 million contract extension. These are the types of deals that will no longer be offered if a salary cap is implemented. As part of the CBA negotiations, the owners have proposed a salary cap of $245.3 million for the 2027 season.

According to Rob Manfred, the decision to implement the salary cap was based on increasing competition within the league. As per the league, the salary cap will give all the teams a fair chance at winning. The owners’ arguments are largely based on the high-spending Dodgers winning back-to-back World Series titles.

“The gap is $441 million,” Manfred said, per USA Today. “It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that gap has the same opportunity to win the top end.”

He further claimed that all 30 MLB owners are aligned in their support for a salary cap, adding that every franchise would agree to share its local television revenue under such a system. That would require high-revenue clubs like the Dodgers, who reportedly bring in about $330 million annually from local TV rights, to distribute a portion of those earnings to smaller-market teams such as the Brewers, whose local broadcast revenue is estimated at roughly $20 million a year.

Additionally, one of MLB’s proposed changes would restrict player contracts to a maximum of five years, with an additional year allowed only for players re-signing with their existing clubs. Such a rule would eliminate the possibility of the lengthy mega-deals that have become common in recent years. However, the MLBPA swiftly pushed back against the proposal.

The Players Association dubbed the salary cap issue as a way to increase the owners’ profits, and not a way to promote fair competition. The union has also threatened a lockout in the upcoming season, citing how the 1994-95 season was affected when the owners pushed for a salary cap. The 232-day work stoppage caused the 1994 World Series to be canceled. Accordingly, if the two sides fail to reach an agreement before the deadline, a lockout ahead of next season remains a real possibility.

With that, Trout is not the only player opposing the salary cap. The newly crowned All-Star MVP, Cody Bellinger, is also against it.

Cody Bellinger opposes a salary cap

Cody Bellinger was at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the All-Star Game, driving in two RBIs to help the American League secure the win. But even the festivities of the Midsummer Classic couldn’t overshadow the uncertainty surrounding the 2027 season and the looming work stoppage. And amid this, Bellinger was asked for his thoughts on the issue.

“If the billionaires are wanting it, they’re billionaires for a reason. They want to continue to enhance their portfolio as much as possible,” Bellinger said, per SNY Yankees. “Us, players, understand that. So, the answer to your question is, no good.”

The 31-year-old is under a five-year, $162.5 million contract with a $20 million signing bonus with the Yankees. And his thought aligns with what the union was already alleging against the owners. The salary cap will only help the billionaire owners to fill their pockets with more money while limiting the players’ income.

In fact, Meyer also aimed Commissioner Rob Manfred and the league for using MLB.TV commercials to advocate for a salary cap. He argued that if fans genuinely supported the proposal, as Manfred has maintained, there would be no need for MLB to invest millions in promoting it.

For now, the salary cap remains just a proposal. But with some of the game’s biggest stars already drawing a line in the sand, the coming months could shape not only the next CBA but also the future of Major League Baseball.