Mets' Juan Soto Says MLB's Salary Cap Proposal 'Sucks' as Harper, Skenes, Trout Sound Off

Add Juan Soto to the list of MLB players not interested in the effort by the league owners to add a salary cap in labor negotiations before the current collective-bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.

"Yeah, that sucks," the New York Mets star told reporters on Monday. "It shouldn't be there."

Soto is currently playing on a 15-year, $765 million deal. Under MLB's proposal, that would have been limited to a six-year, $265 million pact. The league's owners are trying to cap team spending at $245.3 million starting in 2027, though it would also raise the payroll floor to $171.2 million.

Many of baseball's prominent stars have shown little interest in a salary cap structure, however.

"It's trying to minimize the years and obviously the totals. For sure, we see that," Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout told reporters. "I think baseball's in a good spot right now and we can't mess this up."

Rejecting a salary cap has long been the stance of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

"The opportunity for players to get paid is what this is all about," Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper told reporters, citing the history of the MLBPA fighting against the league and owners since it was formed in the 1970s. "We owe it to the guys that have come before us to do the same thing."

And if rejecting a salary cap means a lengthy work stoppage, many of the players seem ready to buckle down for the fight.

"Both sides kind of have their line that they're not going to cross," Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes told reporters. "Whether that results in missing games or missing a season, we'll see. ... MLB is kind of presenting their perfect-world offers and we're kind of presenting our perfect-world offers. So there's a lot of time before there's any real movement, I think."