MLB team owners have made another sweeping labor proposal, this time seeking to dramatically change how most player contracts operate in a new bid that is unlikely to become reality.
Among the key terms that management offered to the MLB Players Association during a Thursday bargaining session focused primarily on the reserve system:
A maximum contract length of five years for all free-agent players switching teams, and six years for those staying with their existing teams, as well as an end to all contract deferrals. Those measures would make it impossible for any future deals like the historic 15-year, $765 million pact Juan Soto signed with the Mets in late 2024, and the 10-year, $700 million contract Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in late 2023 that defers all but $20 million of the money.
A $202 million limit on free-agent deals for players switching teams, representing 15% of a team’s annual salary cap. That overall contract number would mark a significant rollback in current salary trends, as there are more than two dozen current player deals in excess of that, and four that more than double it. The maximum contract value for a free agent staying with his current team is $265 million over six years.
