#salary-cap

#salary-cap

The big news this week is the Dodgers winning the Kyle Tucker and the Mets grabbing Bo Bichette. It's some big money. Kyle Tucker is getting that partially deferred 60MM AAV and Bo Bichette is getting an player option protected 43MM AAV. I don't begrudge them. They're both at the top of a very high profile profession where the top get the tippy-top cash. It might be getting hard to see anything but the bucks though.

"The urgency of that matters to me because we've got free agents and I don't want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head," Bisciotti said. "And I made that clear to Lamar and I think he was very appreciative of my stance and hopefully willing to work with Eric [DeCosta, Ravens general manager] and not get this thing dragged out into April like the last time. It's very hard for him to build a roster when that thing is not settled."

I'm behind this organization,

McMann has shown this season that he can drive the play and generate offence. He has scored timely goals throughout the season and been a physical force within the top six. That versatility has made him a perfect fit under Craig Berube, but it has also significantly raised his market value. For a team already tight against the cap, McMann may have played himself into a price range the Leafs simply can't afford.

If the Flames want to be buyers and try to go all-in on a playoff push, they do have the means to try and make it work. According to PuckPedia, the Calgary Flames are currently sitting on nearly $10 million in cap space, making a move for a veteran piece extremely plausible. In this case, teams like the Winnipeg Jets could be potential trade targets.

"I think the league is committed to working with us, and we're committed to working with them through that, and with it is kind of a lot of back and forth. So it's just a continual process, and that's why I say we're having probably daily conversations with them, trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time,"

The Miami Heat's hopes of trading Terry Rozier will ultimately be decided by the NBA, and they're not tipping their hand at all. According to a recent report, the NBA will only make a ruling on whether Rozier is trade-eligible or not until after the Heat submits a trade proposal. With the way things sound, there's a scenario in which the Heat agrees to a trade in principle with another team that includes Rozier, only to have the NBA strike it down afterward.

One year from today -- on Dec. 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to be exact -- the league's current labor agreement expires. As the owners and players look to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, there are major hurdles to clear and some key areas of disagreement. Will we see a work stoppage in 2027? Is a salary cap coming? ESPN MLB experts Jeff Passan, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez field some of the biggest questions looming over the sport.

"There should be a limit on player salaries," Hainer said in a November interview with Abendzeitung, as captured by @iMiaSanMia.

Teams can lose draft picks and pay a ton in luxury tax, but it doesn't seem to be a deterrent. So for overspending, I would allow a generous soft cap, as MLB has now. Then for every 20 million dollar increment of spending above the cap, you start the season with a loss. So sure, Dodgers, blow out the soft cap if you don't mind starting 0-4.

Dick Monfort is one of the leading figures on the owner's side in labor negotiations with the MLB Players Association. The 71-year-old pointed out that he'll have more work to do on that end with the collective bargaining agreement expiring a little over a year from now. "I have a lot more responsibility with the league over the next year, so I have to allocate time there. Plus, I'm getting older," he told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post).

It's more a symbolic discussion than anything else. Drellich and Rosenthal write that substantive bargaining is unlikely to begin until next spring. This served as an opportunity for each side to lay out diverging views of the game's economics. It is widely expected that the sides will not be able to line up on a new deal before the expiration of the current CBA on December 1, 2026. If that's the case, MLB would immediately implement a lockout to freeze the 2026-27 offseason.