The Milwaukee Brewers have not needed a large payroll to win, but they may be compelled to spend more anyway.
While the Milwaukee Brewers were playing the Atlanta Braves in Williamsport, Pa., during Major League Baseball’s Little League Classic event in late August, a significant conversation was taking place between MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the ESPN broadcast.
Manfred touched on several topics, including the pressing matter of labor negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA. After the MLBPA issued its first proposal in May to increase revenue sharing, a salary floor and a salary cap, MLB returned with its own.
The latter’s proposal included a salary cap of $245.3 million and a salary floor of $171.2 million. The proposal also included a 50-50 revenue split.
Manfred’s goal is to see a version of Major League Baseball where the competition is balanced by these parameters. The financial disparity is real, and it directly affects the level of competition across the board.
So, what does this mean for a team like the Brewers?
One of the exceptions
For the Brewers, money has not impeded their ability to compete. This season, they are in the bottom half of the salary rankings — 19th, to be exact — at $153.4 million, according to Spotrac.
Despite that, they have the best record in baseball and are on track for a 100-win season. Milwaukee is also about to win the National League Central Division for the fourth year in a row, en route to another postseason appearance.
The Brewers, like the Tampa Bay Rays, have manufactured success through talent development rather than taking on stars with big contracts attached to them. Yet if an agreement is reached to double the minimum salary spent by teams, Milwaukee will be compelled to spend.
What will it look like?
In his coverage of Manfred’s comments, Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic reminded readers that if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is not reached by the expiry date of the current one on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET., a lockout is expected to ensue.
If MLB’s proposal to raise the salary floor to $171.2 million is adopted, then the Brewers are less than $20 million away from meeting the mark. However, it is still money that needs to be spent.
Will principal owner Mark Attanasio be in favor of this? His ownership group has made cuts to payroll before, so is there a chance he would be in favor of a lockout to oppose a deal?
Perhaps Attanasio’s perspective will be driven by the rest of the season for the Brewers. If Milwaukee were to win its first World Series, or even just beat the top-spending Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been a consistent obstacle, he may feel emboldened to fight to keep things as they are.
For now, there is only room for speculation, but there are mere months separating us from a monumental evolution in the sport or a work stoppage.
