Manfred: Small-market World Series good for game, but cap still needed

MILWAUKEE -- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes having two smaller markets in the World Series is good for the sport, but said he will not deter owners from pursuing a salary cap as part of the next collective bargaining agreement. In fact, Manfred said he thinks the Milwaukee Brewers' first World Series appearance in 44 years only bolsters the case for a cap. "I think it shows that we leave a lot on the table in some of our smaller markets by not having them have an opportunity to compete on a regular basis," Manfred said on the field Friday before Game 1 of the series between Milwaukee and the Tampa Bay Rays. "The Brewers have been a well-run franchise forever. It's been 40 years since we're here. Once every 40 years is not enough." Bruce Meyer, the interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, disputed the idea that a cap will level the playing field, pointing out that any team can accomplish what Milwaukee and Tampa have this year. But at the same time, Meyer admitted that without spending, winning might not be sustainable. "If every team concluded tomorrow that we don't have to spend any money on players and we can still win, of course that would not be a good thing," Meyer said. "And it would also not be a good thing for those teams because I don't think you could win that way in the long term." That's the fine line players are walking as negotiations heat up with the current CBA expiring at the end of next month. The union wants to highlight that any team can win the World Series under the current system, but players don't want owners to get the idea that not spending on payroll is some kind of formula. Meyer said he believes letting teams act however they desire -- some spend, some don't -- is the right system. "The salary cap is the opposite of competition," Meyer said. "The salary cap tells teams you can't compete too much. ... The results of these playoffs obviously further undermine their argument for why they think they want it. But again, that's not the reason why they want it." The league says it is pushing for a cap because that is what fans desire, and winning consistently and making the playoffs is heavily associated with spending on payroll. "No one ever said that differences in economics are perfectly outcome determinant," Manfred said. "If you look at the data, our larger markets have a very statistically significant advantage in terms of making the playoffs and going deeper into playoffs." The union scoffs at the idea as both sides use cherry-picked data to make their case. The union points to the micro, such as this year's World Series, whereas the league points to the bigger picture. This year will be the first since 2015 that a small-market team will win the World Series. "If you look at our results, not one year but over the last two decades, there is a very strong relationship between market size, payroll and your chances to get in the playoffs and particularly your chances to go deeper," Manfred said. Meyer waved off the idea that the league is looking for competitive balance through a salary cap. He claims it is all about franchise values for owners, saying that a cap will increase the value of teams. "This is really about their desire to make more money in the form of profits and increase franchise values," Meyer said. "The rest of it is a charade. I mean, they don't really want it for any of the reasons they say they really want." The gulf between the sides is likely to lead to a work stoppage at the conclusion of the CBA. That would mean that beginning in December, players will have no contact with their teams and league business will come to a halt. Unless one side changes its stance on a salary cap, the impasse is likely to extend into the new year and possibly next season. "None of this has to be happening," Meyer said. "The owners made a choice. They're going to make a choice presumably to lock the players out." Manfred countered: "We have an unprecedented level of unanimity among ownership that this is something that we need to do, that we need to get ourselves in a position to operate like all the other major professional sports in North America."