Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy doesn’t believe that his team’s spending, which has led to a reported $386 million payroll for the 2026 season, will be a catalyst for a work stoppage.
Muncy made his remarks on the Foul Territory podcast after podcast host and former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski joked that it was the Dodgers’ fault that there could be a work stoppage and a salary cap.
“The work stoppage thing—that was gonna happen, and we don’t know if it’s gonna happen—look, we’re not adding any more fuel to that fire. If that happens, it was always gonna happen, and it’s not gonna only happen just because of us. That’s a totally different issue that I don’t really want to fully get into at this moment. There’s gonna be plenty of time for that over the next year, but, yeah we just gotta focus on ourselves.”
The Dodgers have been the kings of free agency in recent years, picking up the biggest stars on the market with regularity. That continued this season when L.A. added outfielder Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240 million contract.
The back-to-back World Series champions have made it a habit of deferring money owed to future years, well after players will be out of the game. Per the Associated Press, L.A. had over $1 billion in deferred money on the books over 2028-2046 for just eight players last February.
The Dodgers’ spending has reportedly caught the ire of other owners, who are “raging” after the Tucker deal and want a salary cap no matter, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
“These guys are going to go for a cap no matter what it takes,” a source told Drellich.
They won’t get one for the 2026 season with the current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA expiring on Dec. 1. That’s the date to watch, of course, as baseball could potentially be heading for a fairly seismic shift in how it operates after this CBA.
