Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies is one of Major League Baseball's biggest stars. He has made his thoughts clear on a major issue facing the league and players during the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
MLB is the only men's North American sport without a salary cap structure. This has led to a significant disparity in spending between teams, prompting the league to consider whether teams that spend less have a chance to be competitive. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was recently confronted by Harper during a meeting in the Phillies clubhouse.
"The confrontation came in a meeting -- one of the 30 that Manfred conducts annually in an effort to improve his relations with every team's players -- that lasted more than an hour," Passan reported. "Though Manfred never explicitly said the words 'salary cap,' sources said the discussion about the game's economics raised the ire of Harper, one of MLB's most influential players and a two-time National League MVP."
Harper reportedly told Mandred to get out of the clubhouse if he was going to talk about a potential salary cap. Manfred said he was not going to leave, and Harper reportedly hinted that players are not afraid of a lockout.
"Quiet for the majority of the meeting, Harper, sitting in a chair and holding a bat, eventually grew frustrated and said if MLB were to propose a cap and hold firm to it, players 'are not scared to lose 162 games,' sources from the meeting told ESPN," Passan wrote.
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While a salary cap may force teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers to spend less, allowing other teams a better chance to compete, it limits how much money players can make. The current CBA expires in December 2026, and surely, salary cap discourse will continue until a new deal is reached.
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