MLB Commissioner Comments On Fixing The Payroll Disparity

At the moment, there is a sizable difference in payroll between contending MLB teams and those that simply don’t want to compete.

At a little over $330 million, the New York Mets currently own the highest payroll in the league.

There are nine of the 30 teams under $100 million, though.

That just can’t happen in a league in which every organization claims to be competitive.

To solve this, the players association had mentioned the idea of implementing a salary floor.

What the owners countered with at the time basically broke negotiations about the topic.

Now, Commissioner Rob Manfred was asked about the issue of payroll disparity, and his answer was vague once again.

“Rob Manfred was asked about bridging the gap in payrolls across MLB. He said the league has discussed and previously proposed a salary floor: ‘It’s like poker, you got to ante at that number if you want to play. We remain open to those sorts of solutions,'” MLB analyst Danny Vietti tweeted.

Rob Manfred was asked about bridging the gap in payrolls across MLB.

He said the league has discussed and previously proposed a salary floor:

"It's like poker, you got to ante at that number if you want to play. We remain open to those sorts of solutions."

(🎥: MLB Network) pic.twitter.com/wGvUaqCchb

— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) February 17, 2023

First of all, MLB shouldn’t be a game of poker: the Commissioner should try to protect the interests of players and fans.

And second, when the luxury tax threshold was $210 million last year, the owners wanted to decrease it to $180 million if they were to agree to a $100 million salary floor.

Obviously, that idea didn’t have any traction, as the MLBPA was never going to accept a decrease of the competitive balance tax.

When the league and the owners stop seeing MLB as their big board of games, mind tricks, and negotiation tactics and start protecting the interests of fans and players, everything will flourish.