Owners also raised their proposed cap and floor numbers as they try to sell a skeptical players union on the idea.
Major League Baseball has proposed delaying the start of a salary cap system to 2028, a year later than the 2027 start date owners formally proposed back in late May. The league says clubs have too many financial commitments already in place for next season to cut spending down fast enough to meet a cap.
Along with the delay, owners sweetened the numbers. The prior offer of a $245.3 million salary cap is now $258.2 million, and the floor has been lifted from $171.2 million to $180.2 million. Using luxury tax payrolls with average annual values, a team could sit as low as 90% of the floor in 2028, or $162.18 million, as long as it spends the full floor amount over a three-year stretch.
MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said the league recognizes clubs will need a full offseason to prepare to operate within a cap and floor system. The proposal comes a day after free agent negotiations opened for the 2026-27 offseason, and it lands in the middle of ongoing talks between the league and the MLB Players Association, which opposes a salary cap on any timeline.