MLB Players Union Head Rejects Salary Cap; Management Prepares for Possible Lockout

MLB Players Association head Bruce Meyer criticized Major League Baseball management Tuesday for its advertising campaign supporting a salary cap, calling claims of economic hardship perverse. Meyer, who took over after Tony Clark was forced out in February, said the sport is thriving with attendance averaging 29,230 this season.

That figure is up 1.2 percent from 28,895 through similar dates last year, and MLB is on pace for its highest attendance since 2017, ESPN reported.

Management proposed a salary cap system in May. The union has rejected the idea. MLB's Level the Field campaign claims fans support a salary cap. Meyer said the system would harm players for generations.

Baseball's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1. Management is expected to start a lockout immediately afterward, which would mark the sport's 10th work stoppage since 1972. No games have been lost since the 1994-95 strike canceled the World Series.

Meyer said teams in every market can afford to compete but many choose not to. He noted that unions in the NFL, NBA and NHL accepted salary caps under duress.