MLBPA's Meyer Blasts Salary Cap Ad Push as MLB Cites $487.1 Million Dodgers Payroll
Updated
Updated · WRAL News · Jul 14
MLBPA's Meyer Blasts Salary Cap Ad Push as MLB Cites $487.1 Million Dodgers Payroll
3 articles · Updated · WRAL News · Jul 14
Summary
Bruce Meyer, speaking before the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, called MLB’s salary-cap ad campaign “perverse” and said owners were falsely telling fans a thriving sport is broken.
Attendance is averaging 29,230 this season, up 1.2% from a year earlier and on pace for MLB’s best mark since 2017, bolstering the union’s argument that sweeping economic change is unnecessary.
Rob Manfred defended the “Level the Field” campaign, saying fans want better competitive balance and more hope in smaller markets, where teams struggle to keep homegrown stars and attract free agents.
Payroll gaps remain central to management’s case: the Dodgers opened at $323.3 million and owed $163.7 million in tax, while Cleveland had the lowest payroll at $75.5 million.
The fight is sharpening ahead of the labor contract’s Dec. 1 expiration, with players rejecting any cap and management widely expected to begin a lockout immediately after.