MLBPA executive director Tony Clark reiterated his opposition to a proposed league salary cap when speaking to reporters ahead of Friday night’s opening game of the 2025 World Series in Toronto.
“The issues that we see in the system we know can be addressed without a cap,” Clark said, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Clark has expressed his opposition to a potential salary cap multiple times, including when he called it “institutionalized collusion” when speaking to reporters in July.
The MLBPA director also told reporters that rumors the Los Angeles Dodgers reaching a second straight World Series with an MLB-record payroll could impact upcoming labor negotiations are “just chatter.”
When asked to expand on that statement, Clark pointed to the New York Yankees’ three consecutive titles from 1998 to 2000 as precedence, per Mike Mazzeo of Sports Business Journal.
“There’s opportunities for all 30 teams to be excellent,” Clark said Friday. “Some are investing in that excellence, some aren’t.”
According to Nightengale, Clark was then asked “if it were possible that the small-market teams are actually making more money than the large-market teams with revenue sharing.”
Nightengale reported that Clark paused before answering: “All 30 teams have the wherewithal to put a very good team on the field. We are provided information that is confidential information. We are not allowed to share that information.”
Clark also declined to discuss if the MLBPA would support the institution of a salary floor, per Nightengale.
The MLBPA director has previously said he is expecting a lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement between league and players expires after the 2026 season.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has not officially said his league will be pushing for a salary cap, although MLBPA leaders have previously expressed belief Manfred will support a cap.
The Dodgers have set multiple payroll records in constructing a back-to-back World Series contender. Los Angeles is projected to pay $168 million in luxury taxes, which is more than the entire payroll of 16 other clubs, per Mazzeo. Building the roster also involved deferring more than $1 billion in payments.
The Blue Jays, who rank as the fifth-highest payroll in MLB, will attempt to unseat the defending champions starting Friday night in Toronto.
