Former MLB Commissioner Renews Call for Salary Cap
Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig backed a salary cap as the league approaches a labor deadline, pointing to the Dodgers’ spending. The comments came after lower-payroll teams reached the World Series.
On November 3, former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig argued that the league should adopt a salary cap, renewing debate over team spending as the current collective bargaining agreement nears its December 1 expiration date. A lockout is looming, and spending limits could become part of negotiations over the league’s next labor agreement.
Selig said the Milwaukee Brewers’ long wait for a championship did not undermine the case for a cap. He criticized the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending, using the phrase “drunken sailor,” while acknowledging that people could disagree with his position.
Milwaukee swept Los Angeles in the NLCS and went on to win the World Series. Milwaukee had MLB’s 12th-lowest payroll, while the Dodgers had the second-highest. The Tampa Bay Rays, who lost to Milwaukee in the World Series, had the league’s third-lowest payroll and had swept the New York Yankees, whose payroll ranked third-highest.
Both Milwaukee and Tampa Bay had strong regular seasons: the Brewers won 103 games, the most in the National League, and the Rays won 98, leading the American League. The results highlighted that payroll size did not determine postseason success.
The New York Mets spent $346 million, the most in the league, but finished 74-88, among baseball’s six worst records. Discussion of a possible salary cap has also raised the prospect of a minimum payroll requirement.