Garrett's contract previously called for his option bonuses in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to be exercised by the 15th day of the league year. In the amended terms, that date has been pushed back to seven days before the regular season each year.
The owners of Major League Baseball's 30 teams, who made their wealth through the workings of free enterprise capitalism, want to limit what players can be paid. This apparent political and philosophical irony will most likely lead to a shutdown of baseball at the end of this season.
The possible implementation of a salary cap is one of the biggest issues dividing Major League Baseball and the Players Association (MLBPA) as collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations are set to begin in the spring. The league believes a salary cap is necessary to improve competitive balance, while the players remain strongly against one, as it would limit their potential earnings. As it currently stands, MLB is the only major North American professional sports league without a salary cap.
In every CBA negotiation, the goal of the league and teams is to divide the players. These negotiations are no different. We remain united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA for all members of this Union, and are committed to negotiating for as long as it takes.
If you go and you have a lockout right now, during peak Shohei Ohtani time and Aaron Judge time and coming off a World Series that had 51 million viewers at a time when the NBA has struggled with its ratings, where it's very competitive to get eyeballs in this day and age, if Major League Baseball had a lockdown, it could set this sport back by a decade at least,
Major League Baseball owners are "raging" in the wake of Kyle Tucker's free agency agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and it is now "a 100 percent certainty" that the owners will push for a salary cap, one person briefed on ownership conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.
Many in the industry expect a lockout and some even worry about the potential for lost games in 2027. Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post report that the league has put aside a war chest of about $2 billion, roughly $75MM per team, from a central fund to help weather a potentially lengthy stoppage. The MLBPA has made similar preparations but the report doesn't provide specifics for that side.