Commish: 'We're planning on playing baseball next year'

With the threat of a potential work stoppage looming, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence that the 2027 season will proceed.

Interviewed Sunday night by ESPN during the Little League Classic, Manfred discussed ongoing negotiations between MLB owners and the MLB Players Association. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.

"We're meeting regularly, which is good," he said. "Every week, we've had days where we've met with the players. It's early, but we've got a lot of work to do, and we're at it.

"Look, our goal is to make a deal. We want to make a deal. We want to play baseball next year. We're planning on playing baseball next year."

One of the key topics in the labor talks is the owners' goal to establish a salary cap. Owners are seeking a firm salary cap of $245.3 million with a hard floor of $171.2 million.

The union remains steadfast against any limit on payroll, instead proposing a "competitive integrity tax" for teams near the bottom in spending which resembles the competitive balance tax for high-spending teams, among several other changes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are cited as a prime reason for a salary cap. The two-time defending World Series champions had a $345 million player payroll last season and paid another $169 million in luxury tax penalties. The Dodgers' tax bill exceeded the Miami Marlins' entire payroll by over $100 million.

The Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets and other high-revenue teams, due to their lucrative local TV deals, hold a significant advantage over lower-revenue teams, the owners believe, and MLB feels a salary cap would lessen that edge.

Other sticking points between the two sides include service time, the international draft and television revenue.

If owners and players can't agree on a new CBA before the December deadline, MLB owners are widely expected to lock out the players until a new deal is reached.

--Field Level Media