The news is TRUE and the moment sent shockwaves through the MLB world. Dave Roberts, the manager of the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (the team with the highest payroll in MLB history at 415 million$ in 2025), publicly endorsed the idea of an MLB salary cap—but with a crucial caveat.
His comments instantly became the biggest talking point ahead of the crucial 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.
The Full Quote: The Strategic Pivot
Appearing on Amazon Prime’s “Good Sports” on Wednesday, Roberts was asked directly if baseball should implement a salary cap. His answer was a stunning departure from the rhetoric of a manager whose team is constantly accused of “ruining baseball”:
“You know what? I’m all right with that. I think the NBA has done a nice job of revenue sharing with the players and the owners. But if you’re going to kind of suppress spending at the top, I think that you got to raise the floor to make those bottom-feeders spend1 money, to2o.”
Why This is a “Stunning Shift in Philosophy”
- Challenging the “Bottom-Feeders”: This is the key. Roberts not only accepted the idea of a cap (which would restrict his team’s spending) but immediately pivoted to demand a salary floor. This directly targets low-spending owners (the “bottom-feeders,” as he called them) who consistently pocket revenue-sharing money without investing in a competitive roster.
- Addressing the Critics Head-On: Roberts has been openly defiant about the Dodgers’ spending, famously saying during the 2025 playoffs, “Before the season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!” By endorsing a floor, he is challenging the competitive imbalance critics in a way that aligns with the Players Association’s long-term interests.
- The Lockout Showdown: The current CBA expires in December 2026, and the implementation of a salary cap is the number one issue expected to lead to a lockout. Roberts’ suggestion of a cap-and-floor system is widely speculated by analysts to be the only potential compromise that could satisfy the owners’ desire for a cap while giving the players what they want: a guaranteed minimum investment across all 30 teams.
Roberts’ willingness to publicly challenge both big-market spending (his own team) and small-market hoarding has made him a powerful, new voice in the competitive balance debate.
