MLB’s Salary Cap Proposal Eerily Similar To Offer Ahead Of 1994 Strike

BusinessSportsMoneyMLB’s Salary Cap Proposal Eerily Similar To Offer Ahead Of 1994 StrikeByMaury Brown,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Maury Brown is a national MLB, motorsports, and media reporterFollow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 07:00am EDTMLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the 30 owners in the league have proposed a salary cap system for the first time since 1994. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAs part of early negotiations for the next labor deal between the owners and players, Major League Baseball proposed a salary cap system for the first time since June of 1994. What was offered then, and what is being offered now, are eerily similar.The year 1994 will be remembered for many things, but one that will forever stand out is the strike by the players that lasted nearly eight months, stretching into 1995 and causing the cancellation of the 1994 postseason, including the World Series. The impetus for the strike in 1994 plays out today: MLB’s owners felt that they were in an increasingly difficult financial situation. Back then, there was an overall feeling that the health of the league was on a deteriorating financial footing. Now, it’s about a chasm of economic disparity between low and high-revenue clubs. The parameters of what a salary cap would look like as part of the 1994 proposal, and the proposal made today have similar parts:50/50 Revenue SplitIn both 1994 and now, the owners proposed a 50/50 split of baseball-related revenues. Currently, under the free market system, percentages have ebbed and flowed. While neither the league nor the MLB Players Association publicly releases financial information, in 2018, I was able to obtain verified league revenue and player salary information that covered 2010-2017, with the percentages of just MLB player salaries, benefits, and compensation, along with the percentage when accounting for the addition of Minor League player salaries. As that data showed...