MLB Has More Calls from Within for a Salary Cap

Today's Boston Globe includes an interview with Red Sox principal owner John Henry, in which Henry states a salary cap would be great for baseball's competitive balance. Opponents of a cap have called me "dumb" for suggesting MLB would be well served with a limit on salaries. Excerpts from his interview follow.

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TC: At least one other owner has said this is further proof that the sport needs a salary cap. Do you see that happening?

Henry: It’s difficult to predict the future in baseball or in anything. A salary cap would certainly be great for competitive balance within baseball.

TC: Was Tampa Bay’s run to the American League pennant good for baseball? Do more teams have a chance now than in recent years? And, if it’s good for baseball, is it good for the Red Sox to have that much more competition?

Henry: Tampa Bay’s turnaround was due to an excellent management team now running the club from top to bottom. It was also a triumph of revenue sharing. People seem to think I am opposed to revenue sharing, but that has never been the case. What I have said is there have to be limits when it comes to transferring assets and there have to be incentives for all clubs to invest in their teams.

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I challenge anyone to suggest that John Henry is dumb. His team benefits from the current salary system as much as anyone except for the Yankees, and still he acknowledges a cap would be good for baseball's competitive balance.

So give up the dumb argument. You can hold onto the silly "sour grapes" defense and idiotic "baseball needs the Yankees" arguments, but give up the "stupid" defense.

In an ESPN piece, a few other owners also chimed in about a salary cap on Wednesday. We've heard from some of these owners before, but it continues to be compelling that most owners that speak out on the issue are in favor for a cap.

Perhaps there will be support for a cap for the next CBA in 2011. Selected quotes from the owners follow.

""I would ask, if (a cap is) such a bad idea, what sport doesn't have a salary cap other than us?" Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said Wednesday.

A salary cap isn't on the agenda of the major league owners meetings this week. But it could become an issue when the present collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2011 season -- especially if the economy worsens.

"I think there's a lot of owners that would like to have that right now," Oakland owner Lew Wolff said. "I think the parity is what we're looking for, and the more ways you can get to parity the better. I think it's pretty good now, but I think it could be better.

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A salary cap wouldn't solve baseball's economic issues. But some owners say it would give smaller markets a fair shot at signing top talent.

"There's no question that, a market like Pittsburgh, a salary cap would be advantageous," Pirates owner Bob Nutting said. "And if that were a direction that the industry were moving, it would be advantageous to Pittsburgh, but it can't be the primary focus of how we're running our business this year and next year and the following year. We need to stay focused in the real world and not use that as an excuse."

Not all owners are critical of the Yankees' acquisition of pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and infielder Mark Teixeira.

"I've been asked about the Yankees' spending," Chicago Cubs chairman Crane Kenney said. "I have no problem with what they've done. They've done it within the rules, within the confines of our agreement.

"And if you look at the reality there, they've got a $1.3 billion stadium coming online," Kenney said. "They were probably relying on Wall Street to fill a lot of those seats. And they missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. So their reaction is probably similar to what I would do, which is, you've got to put a compelling product on the field when you open the doors of that new ballpark, and that's what they did. Listen, they played within the rules, so I have no issue with it."

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To be clear, many calls for a cap are not a response to the recent Yankee signings. Baseball has been broken for years and the Yankees simply have taken advantage of it. All along some have called for a cap. Teixeira's signing didn't dissuade anyone, but that alone is not why baseball needs help.