On March 27, the MLB is set to hold their opening day. And on that day, the gap between the highest and lowest salary payrolls will be around $275 million- about 120% of what the difference was a decade ago. The MLB needs a salary maximum and minimum requirement, and they need it soon.
As of right now, the MLB has neither a salary cap or minimum, but they do have a luxury tax. The luxury tax, officially known as the competitive balance tax, is assessed to a team when they go over a threshold of money spent on players salaries.
“[The luxury tax is not enough],” junior Bryce Dwyer said. ”Seeing that the[(Los Angeles]Dodgers are spending $308 million, while a team like the Oakland Athletics are spending $66 million … Idon’t believe a luxury tax has the ability to make the league fair.”
The current luxury tax in the MLB is around $241 million, which only a total of four teams are over. But those four teams combined have a value of $233 million over the limit. This creates an unfair advantage for four teams, while the Miami Marlins are ~170 million dollars under the limit putting them at a 200+ million dollar disadvantage in at least 12 games this season.
Dwyer explained the benefits of adding a salary cap. “There would be parity in the league,” Dwyer said. “We could see younger players being more involved on all the teams.”
In the NBA, a league with a salary cap, the gap between the top and bottom teams is only $80 million
For example, the current lowest paid team in the NBA is the Detroit Pistons, who spend $140 million on their current team. The Pistons, after having the worst record in the NBA last year, have already secured themselves a playoff spot this year, snapping a five year drought.
Junior Cash Carfley elaborated on the benefits of a salary cap. “It prevents teams like the [Pittsburgh] Pirates from being greedy, and not paying anyone, and collecting money over the season,” Carfley said.
Junior Kiefer Nelepa believes that a salary cap would be unfair, arguing that the teams who bring in money should be able to spend it. However, Nelepa does believe that the MLB should implement a salary minimum.“If they made a $100 million bottom, every team would be able to buy better players, and then they would bring in more money from winning games and people that want to see those players,” Nelepa said.
Whatever it is, the MLB needs to find a solution to make the league more competitive. The league continues to become more lopsided to big market teams like the Chicago White Sox.Salary cap and minimum, or just salary minimum- it needs to be changed.
