Nico Hoerner's latest CBA comments are sure to irritate Rob Manfred

It's early, but already, rhetoric is being ratcheted up as Major League Baseball and its owners push for a long-sought salary cap in negotiations with the MLBPA regarding a new collective bargaining agreement.

Baseball fans haven't forgotten the last go-round between the two sides, which nearly resulted in a shortened 2022 season. A 90-day lockout felt like a black eye for the sport and, given its again-rising popularity and viewership numbers, the damage could be even worse this time around if the two sides can't get a new deal in place.

Nico Hoerner, MLBPA are standing firm against a proposed salary cap

Chicago Cubs All-Star infielder Nico Hoerner, who is the Cubs' rep to the MLBPA, recently spoke about the negotiations - and his comments fall squarely in line with what we've heard from other players: a salary cap system is a non-starter.

“Obviously, there is a long way to go in the negotiations,” Hoerner said. “The players are in a really strong place right now, and the ability to communicate amongst us is at an all-time high, at least from what I’ve seen. The game is in a good place right now. I don’t think there is much wrong with it. I just don’t see the need to make any big changes (in the CBA).”

Again, with the season ongoing, it's unlikely the two sides make substantive progress - especially given how vastly different their respective points of view are - anytime soon. The owners want a salary cap, while players are pushing for teams to spend more, raising the floor, rather than capping the ceiling.

Obviously, players - including Hoerner, who signed a six-year, $135 million extension this spring - aren't about to agree to a system that limits their earning potential, especially when franchise values are skyrocketing across the sport. The league, meanwhile, says a cap is necessary to level the playing field and give small-market teams a better shot at competing.

There are countless intricacies in this whole situation, but I think most baseball fans agree with where I'm at. Find a way to get a deal done, avoid a lockout (and absolutely avoid losing games in 2027) because popularity is on the rise, the game is in a great place, and this would come across as blind greed to fans who just want to enjoy the game they love.

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