The leadership vacuum of the MLBPA could not have come at a more inopportune time. With collective bargaining agreement talks looming, Tony Clark’s abrupt exit benefits MLB owners who are pushing for a salary cap.

The CBA negotiations, led by Bruce Meyer, are scheduled for December 1, 2026. During the negotiations, team owners and MLB, under Commissioner Rob Manfred, will likely push for the implementation of a salary cap and floor system. Brent Rooker of the Athletics made the players’ stance on the implementation of a salary cap in baseball clear on Foul Territory.

“We’re not going to tolerate that being implemented into our game,” warned Rooker.

Rooker agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract with the Athletics in 2025. He posted an .814 OPS while hitting 30 home runs and 89 RBIs in his first year with the Athletics.

The aim of a salary cap, in theory, is to address the widening revenue disparities between different teams and players. This came to the forefront after the huge disparity in payrolls between big-spending teams like the LA Angeles Dodgers and low-spending teams became evident.

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MLB is the only league that has yet to employ a salary cap, and the owners are ready to change that. But the MLBPA has always been against it, and their stance has not changed over the years.

However, this time, MLB could use the absence of the MLBPA’s executive director to promote a salary cap as a necessity to maintain competitive balance. Yet it does not change the fact that salary caps are designed to restrict players’ salaries to a certain level.

Rooker bluntly put it: “Salary caps are designed to suppress wages so the owners can make more money.” He added, “They are not trying to look out for anything else besides that. So that’s not good for players, that’s not good for the league, that’s not good for competitive balance or parity.”

Rooker’s words make it clear that the players are ready to push back against any hard implementation of a salary cap. The upcoming CBA negotiations will be crucial, and if both parties stick to their stances, a lockout similar to the one in 1995 may already be on the books.

MLBPA’s stance is fixed

After Tony Clark stepped down from his position over allegedly having an affair with his sister-in-law, Bruce Meyer took on the responsibility of interim executive director. Meyer is the labor lawyer who has been leading the negotiations and is actively against the implementation of a salary cap.

So, when the CBA negotiations begin in December this year, if Commissioner Rob Manfred maintains his demand for a salary cap and floor, it is likely to be a non-starter for the players.

Chris Bassitt, one of the eight players selected to the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee in December 2024, spoke to the media about it.

According to the New York Post, Bassitt said, “The salary cap doesn’t fix anything. If you look at every major sport that has a salary cap, we have the best parity. The salary cap is not the issue. Having suppressed salaries across the league so owners can make more money is not the answer.”

Speaking about the Dodgers’ lavish payroll compared to others, Bassitt said that changes can be implemented to help the bottom teams. But cutting down players’ salaries to help these teams spend more is definitely not the answer.

Bassitt, an 11-year MLB veteran, recently moved to the Baltimore Orioles on an $18.5 million contract. He was previously with the Blue Jays.